


Prompts Full of Venom

by SnarkyBadger



Category: Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Blind Reader, CH 41 - NSFW, CH 45 - NSFW, CH 6 Inspired by Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney Version), Carnage - Freeform, Ch 16 & 27 NSFW, Ch 30 - Trigger Warning - Self Harm, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, More Fluff, Mutant Reader, New Years Eve, Pampering, Pregnant Reader, Smut, Superhero Reader - Freeform, Trigger Warning for CH 3 - Mention of Past Rape/Attempted Rape, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-07-11 05:59:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 118,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnarkyBadger/pseuds/SnarkyBadger
Summary: Thought I'd gather all the Filled Venom-centric Prompts from my Tumblr here, so that they'd be easier to find! Enjoy!All Prompts are Female Reader/Venom/Eddie Brock. Most are rather generic, they can fit into the Movie-verse or Comic-verse. I'll tag/note those that are for more specific verses.





	1. Compassion for the Monster

Prompt: _what about the reader comforting venom after something goes wrong (you can decide what exactly) and then letting him rest his head on their chest (maybe someone mentions how nice it is, even when it's usually the other way around)_

 

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You knew something was wrong by the snarls that were coming from the living-room. Low, inhuman, sounds that would probably make someone else run for the hills. You, however, had the honor of being Eddie Brock and Venom’s girlfriend for a good five months, and while the noises sounded like a horror movie sound editors wet dream, you didn’t feel afraid.

Frowning, you got out of bed, padding barefoot to the closed door, pressing your ear to it as you listened. You hadn’t been sleeping, so used to having that large body - be it Venom or Eddie - cuddling you that real sleep had been slipping through your fingers.

The snarling, growling, hissing syllables were alien, possibly the most alien sounds you’d heard Venom make to date, and despite some prehistoric bit of your brain screaming at you to hide, you quietly opened the door and made your way to the apartment’s living room.

The massive dark form that was pacing the length of the room like a caged tiger didn’t notice you at first, wicked talons clenching and un-clenching at his sides as he stalked around the room. Those odd pale eyes were narrowed into slits, fangs bared in a grimace, and you could see the muscles in his back and arms rippling, as if he was literally holding himself back from tearing the room apart.

“Venom?”

He jerked at your soft voice, spinning around to face you, talons raised as if to attack - only to huff a growl when he recognized you.

“GO BACK TO BED, MORSEL.” It was more of a warning than a command.

You, being stubborn, ignored him. Instead, you walked forward and curled your arms around his waist in a hug, nuzzling your face into his chest.

He tensed, like a spring about to snap, or a viper about to strike. Actually vibrated a little, snarling something. You merely tightened your arms around him as much as you could - not that your meager strength could actually do anything to harm him - and pressed a gentle kiss over his - Eddie’s - wildly thudding heart.

Slowly, you felt him start to relax, a low hiss leaving him as he rose his arms to wrap you up in a bear hug, ducking his head to nuzzle his face into your hair, taking an obvious lungful of your scent.

“BRAVE, MORSEL. OTHER PEOPLE WOULD HAVE RUN,” Venom grumbled, voice vibrating into you.

You nuzzled his throat. “Other people don’t know you like I do,” you murmured to him warmly. “Though if they did, I might get jealous.”

That had the intended effect of pulling a low chuff of laughter from him. “THERE IS ONLY YOU, MORSEL.”

“Then come hold me?” It was a rather underhanded trick - Venom was low-key addicted to cuddling. Any chance he had, he’d be attached to you, arms and tendrils wrapped around you and keeping you held snugly to him.

He grumbled again, though there was no anger in it. “SNEAKY.”

Your lips curved into a smile. “I try.” Shivered when wicked fangs grazed the side of your neck as he shifted his hold on you, hands sliding down to your thighs to lift you as Venom headed for the bedroom. Felt him rumble against you, the low bass of his voice making you shiver again as it vibrated out of his chest and into you.

The bed groaned as Venom literally threw the two of you down onto the mattress, dark tendrils already reaching for you, curling around your arms, legs and waist.

You blinked when he gently nudged you onto your back, but let him arrange you the way he wanted, smiling softly when he sprawled diagonally across the bed, his head resting on your chest. As he got comfortable, he slid his hands under your tee shirt so he could feel your skin, his arms wrapping around your waist, holding you almost desperately close.

It was unlike him, and you rose your hands to hug him to you as he shifted so his head was resting above your heart. “Venom, hun, you okay?”

“WE WILL BE,” he mumbled, arms tightening around you almost painfully tight for a moment before relaxing. “THIS HELPS. YOU HELP.”

“Good.” You brushed your hands across his shoulders, thumbs rubbing circles against the nape of his neck. Rolled your eyes moments later when he nuzzled his head into your breasts, rumbling happily. “Comfy?”

His answer was a wordless ‘murring’ noise, something solely alien, but all relaxed pleasure. “COMFY.”

You laughed, softly, hearing him grumble when it made his head bounce on your chest. “Go to sleep. Things will be better in the morning.”

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	2. It's Been A Long Day

Prompt: reader has a long day n comes home exhausted and overstimulated, she just wants to relax and cuddle w/ her boys and they're happy to oblige.

 

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It had been a long, _long_ , day at work. Minimum wage _sucked_ and working as a Cashier at a large grocery store really didn’t make you feel… successful. All day, it had been screaming children, rude, snide, customers, people who criticized how you packed their groceries, and one particularly rude lady that had paid a fifty dollar receipt with _coins._

By the end of your seven hour shift, you’d had just about enough of human interaction, thank you very much. Your anxiety had spiked halfway through counting through that lady’s pile of coins while she’d hemmed and hawed about how long you were taking, and you’d struggled to keep a leash on it for the next hour before you could go home.

Now, as you passed people on the street you were at the end of your rope. Everything was just… _too much._ There were too many people, too much noise and smells and pressing bodies and if you didn’t get home soon you’d start screaming in the middle of the street like a crazy person.

You were shaking a little in the elevator as it rose up to your floor, and you sighed in relief at the sight of your apartment door, trembling fingers clawing through your purse for your keys. You missed the lock twice before slipping the key in and opening the door, groaning as you shoved it open.

Your boyfriend Eddie Brock was lounging on the couch, laptop balanced on his thighs as he typed. Probably working on some new investigative piece. The sound of your entrance drew his gaze, brows scrunching inwards in concern as he watched you shuffle over to the kitchen counter and dump your purse onto it.

He didn’t say anything as he set his laptop on the coffee table and rose to his feet, padding barefoot across the hardwood floors and over to your side. One large hand rose to your cheek, and you sighed as you leaned into his palm, closing your eyes tight to keep the hot tears from falling.

Blackness rose from the ‘shirt’ he wore, tendrils rising to caress your face. It had taken some time and brainpower to get your mind around the fact that your boyfriend was bonded to an alien symbiote. Even longer to get over the fact that said alien was _Venom_ , and that it liked to spend most of it’s nights ripping though the City’s scum and lowlifes. Literally.

But Venom had never hurt you. _Would_ never hurt you. It was just as fond of you as Eddie was. Of which you thanked your lucky stars, because you didn’t fancy ever getting on Venom’s bad side.

Now, all you wanted was to be held and pampered. Wanted some quiet time so you could wrangle your brain and emotions back under control and regain a sense of calm.

Both Eddie and Venom knew and understood that. It wasn’t the first time you’d come home exhausted and twitchy. You’d had to convince them not to hunt down and gut your boss that first time, calmly explaining what was happening.

Now, they were experts at helping you, which was why Eddie moved to tug at your jacket, gently pulling it off of you while the symbiote took the clip out of your hair, tendrils lightly scraping your scalp as it worked out the tangles.

Your jacket was left on the counter as Eddie lifted you up into his arms, and you snuggled into his hold, hiding your face against his neck as he carried you towards the living-room.

It was Venom that dropped down onto the couch with you in his arms, a low, alien, yet soothing, murring rumble vibrating out of him as he cuddled you impossibly close. Dark tendrils wrapped around you, curling around your arms and legs, slipping under your blouse to massage the tense muscles in your back and shoulders. One idly plucked at your bra, unhooking it, and you wriggled a little, hearing his low chuckle as you managed to get out of your bra without taking off your shirt, pulling the underwire bra out your sleeve and blindly tossing it onto the coffee table.

More bits of the symbiote spread under your blouse, covering your stomach and sides, curling over your shoulders to caress your collarbones. One tendril snaked down your leg to coil around your left ankle, where an old injury made standing on your feet for hours on end horrendous, gentle little movements massaging the pain away.

You focused on his low rumbling, closing your eyes as you did so. It was just was you needed.

His purr ratcheted up a notch as you snuggled into him, sighing when he ducked his head to lick at your cheek, nudging at you gently. “BAD DAY, MORSEL?”

“Mm. I got all the assholes at my cash. And some crazy lady paid with _coins_. Coins! For a fifty dollar ring up. I had to count out every damn nickel and dime and quarter. Twice! Because she messed up my count by constantly bitching at me that I was taking too long.”

He rumbled soothingly, and you sighed as he splayed a hand on your back, talons lightly pricking you through your blouse as his tendrils gave you an all body hug. “WE COULD SWING BY TOMORROW.”

You snorted at the thought of the chaos that would ensue. “Pass. But thanks.”

“YOU’D GET TO COME HOME EARLY IF WE ACCIDENTALLY TRASHED THE ELECTRIC PANEL FOR THE BUILDING.”

You actually gave that some thought. “And then they wouldn’t see you steal those new chocolate cakes we got in today.”

A pleased chuckle left him as he hugged you close. “WE LIKE HOW YOU THINK.”

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	3. Bravery in the Face of Fear

Prompt: Reader has a history of being physically and sexually abused, while out and about a creep follows her from where she had been making a short and quick run to the gas station for her boys when they get home about 2 blocks away and corners her despite her best efforts to defend herself from what she's learned from them. Her boys are on patrol and happen to see this sight of their morsel being violated and held at gun/knifepoint.

 

WARNING: Vague Mentions of Past Rape/Attempted Rape. Violence. I tried to keep it vague to avoid triggering people, but I still wanted to add a warning.

 

* * *

 

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All you wanted was to surprise your boyfriend with fresh chocolate chip cookies. That’s it. Just one batch. It shouldn’t have been so damned hard. But said boyfriend was Bonded to an alien symbiote who was low-key addicted to chocolate. Which, you supposed, explained the fang marks on the empty bag of chocolate chips that you’d spied in the garbage. This wouldn’t have been so annoying if you’d noticed this _before_ you’d made the batter.

Sigh.

So, despite the lateness of the evening, you gathered up your courage and headed out to the gas station a couple of blocks away. They wouldn’t have chocolate chips, but they _would_ have Hershey bars that you could cut up _into_ chips.

Honestly, Eddie and Venom had better appreciate your efforts _._

 _Getting_ to the gas station went smoothly. It was when you were leaving that you noticed him. Hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, but his attention was hyper focused on you. Flashbacks to your College year, when you’d been cornered and attacked by a fellow Freshman made your heartbeat spike, the memory of that bastard’s body and the stink of his beer-breath on your face making your hands tremble and your stomach lurch.

Shivering, you clutched the bag full of chocolate bars tight and sped up _,_ wishing that you’d stayed in the safety of the apartment. Tried to glance back without making _look_ like you were looking gave you the view of an empty sidewalk, and your rising fear fizzled a little. Had you been wrong?

The hand that shot out of an alleyway to grab your shirt and yank you off balance said ‘no’.

Your scream couldn’t get past the terror that closed your throat, and you froze.

But in your mind was Eddie’s voice. You’d hesitantly confided in him when the two of you - three if you counted Venom - became intimate. You’d been in the middle of a fairly hot and heavy make out session when he’d pinned you to the couch, and when he’d tried to kiss you the smell of the beer on his breath from dinner had made you recoil in fear, and he’d immediately recognized the reason for your reaction. He hadn’t pushed you to tell him, hadn’t pried, merely some of Listerine to wash the beer smell from his breath before returning to you and holding you close as you’d apologized and slowly, haltingly, explained your reaction.

After you’d told him, he’d insisted on teaching you some self-defense moves. ‘Just in case’ he’d said. It had been difficult, having him ‘pretend’ to attack you, but your trust in him had won out. He had drilled you in numerous ways to escape, until your muscles had been sore and your mind a little stunned that you’d even _had_ the ability to lash out as he’d taught you.

Now, amazingly, all those afternoon work outs came back to you. 

Your back hit the brick wall and when he leaned in, you jerked your head forward, your forehead catching him square in the nose with a crunch. When he yowled and automatically rose a hand to his face, you kicked him as hard as you could in the left shin, then kneed him in the crotch.

He groaned and doubled-over and you used the opportunity to shove away from the wall, abandoning the bag of chocolate in lieu of running for your life.

You got, maybe, another half block before you were tackled from behind, and this time you did cry out when you hit the ground, shrieking when you felt him flip you onto your back and start to crawl up your body. 

You struggled, kicking and screaming and lashing out, all the work that had been drilled into you vanishing in the face of sheer panic. Managed a few more hits that had your attacker cursing some more, nails raking down his face, thumbs going for his eyes – before the cold barrel of a gun was pressed to your temple.

Freezing, you could only stare up into the man’s manic gaze, blood oozing from his broken nose and the gouges from your nails. His fetid breath washed over your face, and you whimpered when he rolled his hips to yours–

A horrible, feral, snarl cut through the night, and you gasped as your attacker was bodily ripped off of you. Heard him scream as Venom moved into the glow from a street light, one dark inky hand tipped with wicked talons closing around his arm when the man rose it to discharge the gun point-blank into Venom’s chest.

Your boyfriend didn’t even flinch. Merely grinned, fangs bared, as the blackness that covered him rippled where he had been shot, exuding six crumpled bullets that tinkled harmlessly to the ground at his feet.

Another person might have screamed and run when Venom snapped the man’s arm in half, bones crunching, the male shrieking, urine dripping from his legs to pool on the sidewalk. 

You merely inched away from the growing puddle, unable to muster up any care for the man dangling in Venom’s grip. Your last attacker had gotten off scott-free because he’d been on the College’s Football Team, saved by a cover-up by the school that had left you feeling assaulted all over again.

 _This_ attacker wasn’t going to get away with it. 

So when Venom snapped his neck, twisting his head almost all the way around, you didn’t feel much except faint relief. You _did_ glance away when Venom shoved the corpse into a too-small trash can, only raising your gaze from the ground when your odd boyfriend moved to crouch in front of you, those wicked talons so gentle against your skin as he cupped your face.

“ARE YOU HURT?”

You swallowed around the lump in your throat, shaking you head a little before finding your voice. “N-no. No. I’m alright.”

A massive sigh of relief left him, and he leaned in to gently press his forehead to yours, licking at your cheek. “WHY AREN’T YOU AT HOME, MORSEL?”

Felt your face heat up at the blush that coloured your cheeks. “I wanted to surprise you with cookies…. But _someone_ ate all the chocolate chips, so I thought I’d run out and get some chocolate bars to chop up and then everything went to hell.”

“YOU BROKE HIS NOSE.”

“Yeah. I almost got away… But I can’t fight a gun.”

A low, unearthly, rumble left him. “STILL. YOU FOUGHT BACK.” His hands slid down your body, and you automatically curled your arms around his neck when he lifted you, cradling you against his chest as he rose to his full height. “OUR BRAVE, MORSEL.”

“Not that brave.” You pressed a kiss to his fangs. “Thanks for saving me.”

“ALWAYS.”

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	4. Mission Impossible

Prompt: reader trying to sneak chocolate cake past venom and failing miserably but hilariously?

(It does help to have the Mission Impossible theme in your head when you read this XD)

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Your mission was to hopefully purchase a cake and get it home and into the fridge without anyone eating it. This would normally not be such a problem, except your boyfriend was bonded to an alien symbiote who craved chocolate like you craved Hagen Daaz Cookie Dough ice cream when you were PMSing.

But it was Eddie’s birthday, and you were going to get the cake into the building, up the stairs  - you could get cornered in the elevator, so deemed it too risky to use - and into the apartment’s fridge without it gaining any large teeth marks, so help you God. Venom might like to hijack Eddie’s body, but once the cake was safely in the fridge, you’d be able to defend it. You had Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” on an mp3 player linked to a Bluetooth Speaker and you were not afraid to use it.

Said cake was Eddie’s favorite: a three layered triple chocolate cake with strawberries and white icing as decoration. You’d gotten it from Eddie’s favorite bakery, and paid extra to have a flourished ‘Happy Birthday’ written on it in a font that was like a calligrapher’s wet dream.

You spent the walk to the apartment on high alert, eyeing every dark shadow and every building side and rooftop for a familiar hulking form. You garnered glances, but you didn’t care. You were On. A. Mission. Dammit.

The only crimp in the plan was the ten flights of stairs you had to climb. Sure, you had open space to make a run for it, but your calves were now pissed as all hell at you and your brain kept flashing you images of the perfectly usable elevator that you could hear rattling in the wall to your left. 

Also, you had chosen a stupid ass day to wear your new boots. You were certain you had a blister forming.

But you were victorious. Possibly having a heart attack, but victorious. 

You leaned against the wall next to the apartment door for a moment, panting,  the edges of the boxed up cake crinkling a little under your grip.

Only once your heart and lungs were working again did you shift to press your ear to the door, listening intently. There were no sounds of movement, no low drone of the TV (for some reason the symbiote was a firm watcher of the Discovery Channel. It had especially enjoyed Shark Week. You just hoped there wouldn’t be a tabloid article about the ‘Demon of San Francisco’ wrestling Great Whites off the coast.)

Frowning, on high alert - this was dangerous territory - you slipped the key into the lock and tried to open the door as quietly as possible. Naturally, the hinges creaked and groaned the entire way, sounding like a goose choking on a kazoo.

Goddammit.

Feet shoulder-width apart, cake cradled in one arm, the other extended to defend it and yourself, you stood in the doorway for a long minute, eyes darting across the open-concept apartment. When nothing moved, no massive form lunging forward to rip the cake out of your grasp, you hesitantly entered, and, considering the noise you’d already made, kicked the door shut behind you.

Again, nothing moved.

Eyes narrowing, you headed right for the fridge, daring to hope that maybe, just _maybe_ , you were in the clear.

Ever heard of Murphy’s Law? That goddamn bastard, you hated him with a passion.

Because you were five feet from the fridge when you literally bumped into something. Said invisible wall grunted when you experimentally kicked at it.

“Goddammit, Venom! No camouflage in the house!”

Said ‘invisible’ wall snickered, the ‘air’ twisting and peeling away as the symbiote flushed black once again, and you glared at the spot where you thought Venom’s face was before huffing and jerking your gaze up another half-foot. “You promised not to do that again after scaring me half to death in the shower.”

He was completely unapologetic, fangs bared in an amused grin. “SAW YOU AT THE BAKERY LITTLE MORSEL.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

And the Bluetooth speaker was in the bottom of your purse. 

The massive form bent down to lick at your cheek, and you heard him sniff the air, those pale eyes lowering to the box in your grasp. “WE SMELL CHOCOLATE.”

You shifted to hide the cake behind your body. “It’s for Eddie.”

He hummed, straightening again, a predatory look falling onto his alien features. “WE _ARE_ EDDIE.”

“Technically, you are, at most, _half_ Eddie,” you frowned, backing away when Venom took a step into your personal space, that grin of his growing. “Touch the cake and you’re sleeping on the couch for a month.”

He paused, visibly giving that some thought, then shrugged. “YOU CAN’T REALLY ENFORCE THAT, OUR MORSEL.”

Okay, yeah, he had a point. Compared to Venom, you were about as strong as a wet noodle. Hell, even compared to Eddie, you were still painfully outmatched.

Now what?

Mustering up every ounce of acting and fear you could fake, you gave a shriek of utter horror and pointed a shaking finger at the window behind him. “ _What the fuck is that?!_ ”

He spun with a fierce snarl, automatically moving to protect you. You bolted for the door. Managed to get partially into the hallway before a taloned hand closed on the collar of your jacket and hauled you back into the apartment, a inky black tendril pushing the door closed and flipping the lock.

Well shit and fuck and everything in between.

Your back hit the wall next to the door, and you managed a wary smile as you gazed up at a mildly annoyed Venom. “You’re fast,” you blurted, and Venom gave you a look that plainly said that he would be rolling his eyes at you if he could.

While he glared at you, your brain came up with the idea of barricading yourself in the bathroom. The door had a lock and once you got the Bluetooth speaker going, you could hold him off with Celine Dion music until he gave up and let Eddie take control again.

Okay. On three.

Venom must have sensed your intention, or something, because he started to reach for you. You ducked under his arm - yay for being short - and managed a whole three steps before those goddamn new boots turned traitor.

Your ankle turned, the smooth sole of your boot slipping on the hardwood floor. The shriek you let out was much more convincing this time as you wobbled, flailing, the cake going flying and hitting the floor, cover of the box popping open. 

You had a brief second of thanking your lucky stars that it had landed right side up before your ankle gave out completely and you _literally_ faceplanted yourself into it.

Venom spent the next half hour holding you in his arms and joyfully licking cake off of your face while you pouted and promised him rue and retribution.

You got your revenge by blasting Britney Spears in Venom’s ear at 2am a week later.

Eddie never got his cake.

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	5. A Series of Unfortunate Events

Prompt - Venom prompt where fem reader is sitting at home and looks out the window to see something black scaling the next building over and is like, “oh snap is someone being robbed, no wait it’s that one Venom guy off the news- SHIT I FELL OUT MY WINDOW HELP”

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This…. was not your night.

First, you’d dropped your phone in the sink while washing the dishes - you’d been holding it between your shoulder and ear while on hold with the Cable Company and it had slipped. Then, in your haste of trying to save said phone from a watery grave, you’d cut your finger on a submerged knife. Blood had stained the water as you’d grabbed your phone, your frantic retrieval knocking over a drying glass, causing it to shatter when it hit the floor.

Naturally, you stepped on a piece of glass reaching for some paper towels to stem the bleeding from your finger.

You wondered if the neighbours had heard your screaming and cursing fit.

Currently, you were slouched in your favorite arm chair, in a set of comfy shorts and a tee, your bandaged foot propped up on the coffee table, left index finger encased in gauze, and your phone currently buried in a Tupperware full of rice in the hopes that it might resurrect itself come morning.

Being unable to complete your phone call meant that your Cable was still out. So there was no TV. Luckily, your Kindle reader was charged and working - barring any mistakes on your part - so you could at least distract yourself with your favorite novel.

With a breeze coming through the open window, and only the soft glow from a lamp and your Kindle lighting the room, it was a quiet, but - finally - peaceful evening.

You were eleven chapters in when something moved in your peripheral vision. Glancing in that direction and out the window showed nothing more than the usual sight of the building across the way, the light from the street lamps casting shadows along the street.

Muttering to yourself that you were going insane, you turned back to your reading. Managed half a paragraph before the shadows across the way moved again.

You squinted a little, eyes widening when a dark black shadow seemed to _crawl_ up the opposite building’s wall. _What the fuck?!_

Tossing your Kindle onto the coffee table, you flicked off the lamp, then hobbled over to the open window, sticking your whole upper body out of it. There wa _s definitely_ something moving on the wall. Massive, it crept from shadow to shadow, and your hands clenched on the windowsill, certain that you were witnessing the beginning of a break in.

Unfortunately, you had a distinct issue with your brain-to-mouth filter. Which was why the little censor guy in your brain that kept you alive didn’t react in time to stop your mouth from activating.

Which was why you were currently hollering at the would-be robber across the way, your voice echoing loudly. “HEY! Fuckmother! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Yes, you! The asshat on the side of the building! Get the fuck away from that window or I’m gunna call the cops on your ass!” That was a lie, your phone was being resurrected by rice, but you doubted the robber was psychic.

You were completely unprepared for the form to shift and turn it’s head towards you, and you felt your insides go cold at the pale white eyes and fanged maw that you spotted.

Venom. Oh, shit, you’d just screamed at Venom. Venom, the Demon of San Francisco. The monster that liked to dismember bad guys was across the street from you and you’d just called him a fuckmother and and asshat.

You spent a long moment gaping at him in horrified shock before self-preservation kicked in. Panicking, you jerked backwards, slamming the back of your skull against the top of the window, hands slipping on the sill as the recoil blacked your vision out. Flailed in an attempt to regain your balance - _why_ had you decided to lean out the fucking window?! - before gravity took hold.

Managed a terrified “SHIT!” as you toppled, legs scraping on the edge of the window as you did a header out of it. Time seemed to slow as you watched the sidewalk below loom in your vision, wondering if your family would put ‘died due to chronic stupidity’ on your tombstone - when something wrapped tight around your legs and jerked you to a bone jarring stop.

Hyperventilating, eyes clenched shut, you dangled there for a moment, swinging back and forth. When death didn’t come, you cracked an eye open, a hysterical giggle leaving you when you saw that you were a mere foot away from the ground.

The blood rushing to your head made thinking a little slow, which was why it took you a moment to realize that something had a hold of your legs and that your shirt was now in the vicinity of your neck.

Flailing, you rushed to hold your shirt in place so you’d stop flashing your boobs, then looked up, blinking stupidly at Venom where he was now attached to the side of your apartment building. A black tendril was extended from his right arm and coiled around your legs.

Ohhhh boy.

Gulping, you freed a hand to give him a meek wave. “Hi?”

He gave you a look that plainly said he thought you were a few sandwiches short of a picnic before he moved, slowly crawling down the side of the building, the tendril around your legs shifting, crawling up to encircle your waist and gently righting you.

Lightheadedness made you stumble a bit as you were set on your feet on the ground, the blackness that was wrapped around you only pulling away once you stable.

Venom leapt the last fifteen feet to the street, landing with a thud in front of you, and you found yourself staring at him from a vicinity that gave you a close up view of those rows of fangs. You mustered up a warbling, frightened, “I thought you were a burglar.”

“YOU’RE AN ODD LITTLE MORSEL,” he rumbled, and you shivered a little at his voice. Low, baritone, with a growling, predatory tint.

“You’re not exactly the poster child for normality,” you blurted, paling at the surprised look he gave you and immediately starting to ramble. “I’m sorry! It’s been a bad night and I was almost street pizza a second ago and I have this brain/mouth filter issue and please don’t kill me I didn’t mean to yell at you and–”

He stopped you by pressing a taloned finger to your lips. “SHH. BE CALM, LITTLE NIBBLE. WE WON’T HURT YOU.”

“Thanks for catching me,” you murmured once he’d pulled his hand away and you’d regained some bit of composure.

“YOU’RE WELCOME. IN THE FUTURE, WE RECOMMEND NOT YELLING AT STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT. NOT EVERYONE IS AS KIND AS WE ARE,” he said with a smirk and a pat - an actual pat - to the top of your head.

You opened your mouth to say something, then rethought things and settled for a soft. “Yessir.”

A rumbling chuckle, like distant thunder, left him as he rose his right arm, something that looked very much like webbing shooting out from the back of his hand, attaching to the building behind you. One yank and a jump, and your unlikely savior was gone, swinging off down the street at a speed that frankly made you glad you were safely on the ground.

Still wondering why he’d been skulking around in the first place - you hadn’t had the nerve to ask - you turned and headed for your apartment building, freezing when you tugged on the main door only to find it locked.

Your stomach sunk to your feet. Your keys still were in your apartment.

“ _Shit!_ ”

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	6. Monster Lines

Prompt - Do you think you could do an Eddie/reader based on the scene from The Hunchback of Notre Dame where Esmeralda is looking at Quasi's hand looking for "monster lines"? That was on earlier and I thought it would be a good prompt.

(If readers need to know what this scene is, you can find it here on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeosuhfJP7c Scene happens about 2 minutes in)

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Reading palms and tarot cards was something of a hobby for you. It was something you parents had frowned on when you were a teen, but you found the practices interesting. You knew there were no easy fixes in life, no magick powers that could change a persons attitude, or suddenly inflate your bank account. 

But there were still things that you didn’t understand. More than once, you’d read the cards to someone and blown their minds with information that you couldn’t possibly know. It happened often enough that you’d discounted mere chance.

You weren’t alone in your interest in such things. Which was why, every weekend, you carried a small folding table out to the markets and set up a tarot reading service. You didn’t do it for the money, but for the love of the craft.

People expected a certain kind of person to do such things, which is why you were in a black maxi skirt, a white cold shoulder blouse and a flowy purple shawl. Your hair was pinned up, a few strands hanging loose to tangle a little around the hoop earrings that dangled from your ears. Multiple semi-precious and silver rings decorated your fingers, nails painted a deep purple to match your shawl.

It was a costume of course, something to go with the ‘otherworldly-ness’ of your craft. People expected a show, and you gave it to them. Honestly, you were playing to their prejudices. It made you feel a little bad.

Still, you played the part. Reading the cards for numerous people and couples who were curious, even doubtful. But you knew the cards, had memorized the meanings behind each one. And whatever chance or luck or mystic thing that allowed you to be so intuitive about it, you accepted that too, passing it along to whomever you were reading for.

It was the end of the day, when you were packing up your things - tarot cards, gemstones, a supposed ‘crystal ball’ that was really just a glass sphere - that things went downhill.

You’d noticed them while you were packing, a small group of people. Non-descript, two men and a woman. They’d been milling around the market for over an hour, and your intuition and your gut knew they meant trouble.

So you moved a little quicker than usual, putting everything in your tote bag before slinging it over your shoulder and picking up the folded table. Hurried towards the closest intersection where you could hop onto the safety of a streetcar.

Got, maybe, half a block before a thrown bottle shattered against the wall next to you, and you automatically ducked, bits of glass spraying the air around you.

“Pagan bitch!”

Sigh. This again. You’d joined one non-conformist belief system and suddenly you were the enemy.

Scowling, you spun on your heel and glared at the trio, tensing, ready to throw the small folded table at them. “That’s ‘Miss Pagan Bitch’ to you losers. Honestly, don’t you have something better to do? Some same-sex marriage to protest or pro-choice office to rally against?”

“Naw,” one of the men drawled, hands curling into fists, a dark smile tugging at his lips. “Just you. Whaddya think, Jim? Beat ‘er, up?”

‘Jim’ smirked. “Didn’t they used to burn witches way back when?”

The woman nodded. “Fire to cleanse the sin.”

Holy fuck they were insane. You couldn’t fight crazy. 

Gritting your teeth, you threw the table, paying on scant attention as ‘Jim’ tried to duck to avoid getting hit in the face as you spun on your heel and made a run for it. Your flats made it easy to get up to a sprint, pouring on the speed at the sound of pursuit, your skirts flaring as you ran for you life.

You kept to the open streets, hoping that someone would see, but the few people you bolted past didn’t give two glances to you, nor to the ones following you. Cursing - when had people stopping _caring?_ \- you darted across the street, ignoring car horns and curses as you ran between cars.

There was a noise, a yell, and you cried out when a hand fisted in your partially unraveled hair, jerking you backwards. You were spun into someone’s arms and gripped far too tight, ribs flaring pain as you were dragged backwards into an alley. 

But you were no meek ‘damsel’. 

“Get the fuck off!” You lashed out, catching an approaching ‘Jim’ in the balls with a kick, slamming your head back into the other man’s face. The woman backhanded you, a ring she wore cutting your lip, and you spat in her face in return before stamping down onto your captor’s foot with enough force that you felt something give way.

His arms went lax enough for you to wrestle you way out, shifting your right arm so the bag on your shoulder slid down into you palm, and you grasped the strap as you use it to bludgeon the recovered ‘Jim’ in the head.

The woman threw herself at you, and you went down in a tangle of shrieking limbs as she straddled you and moved to literally bash you in the head with a brick–

And a shadow from a tall fire escape came alive with a bone-chilling snarl.

You froze, watching as the massive form landed behind the woman on top of you, a large taloned hand grabbing her by the head and effortlessly lifting her off of you. She cried out and struggled, using that brick to no avail, a scream leaving her as she was thrown against the nearest wall. She slid to the ground in a twitching heap, trying to weakly crawl away.

‘Jim’ showed his true colours by trying to make a run for it, except a black tendril lashed out to coil around his arms and chest, yanking him back and right into a large fist. His unconscious form was used to knock the second male off his feet as he was lifting the woman into his arms, sending him to the ground on top of the semi-coherant lady.

You, meanwhile, just sat through all of it, eyes wide, idly wondering if you were next.

But the massive black form that turned towards you - those pale eyes like something out of a nightmare - didn’t attack. Merely gave you a visible once over before the blackness literally peeled away to expose a well-built man with tired, yet kind, steel blue eyes.

“Are you alright?”

You stared for a moment longer before giving yourself a mental kick, blurting out the only thing that same to mind. “I need a drink.”

Your rescuer blinked, then laughed, holding a hand out to you. “Want an escort? Seems to be a lot of garbage wandering the streets this evening.”

Gave that some serious thought before shrugging. “Sure. Why not? I kinda owe you one anyway, right?”

He led you to a small restaurant nearby that sold booze as well as food. While waiting for your drinks, you learned his name was Eddie Brock and that he was a retired reporter that now worked as a journalist. You answered his questions in kind, laughing a little at his surprised look when you told him what you did on the weekends. He didn’t seem disgusted or against it, merely curious.

A hesitant question on your end afforded you the knowledge that he was bonded to an alien symbiote, and that he moonlighted as Venom most nights.

You were floored. You were sitting across from the Demon of San Francisco. 

When your drinks came - a craft beer for him and a strawberry daiquiri for you - you quietly studied him while taking a drink. You knew that looks were deceiving. Eddie - Venom? - had saved you, walked you to safety, to a public restaurant where you could make a scene and get him arrested at any moment. He _hadn’t_ \- as far as you knew - killed your attackers, and it made you seriously doubt all those stories in the papers about him. 

“I owe you an apology,” you murmured, meeting his gaze when he quirked a brow at you curiously. “You’re…. you’re not what I expected.”

He gave you a self-deprecating smile. “Been reading the papers, hm? They’re not completely wrong.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair, his gaze dropping to frown at the bottle of beer in his grip. “We– _I_ know what we are. We’re a monster, there’s no doubt about that. I just…. try to be constructive about it.”

You frowned at the pain in his voice, the self-loathing. It surprised you, honestly. You were good at reading people, at trusting your intuition. And at that moment, you knew that you were looking at a _good_ _person_ despite his…. nightly activities.

“Give me your hand,” you murmured, smiling a little when he gave you another curious look. “Please?”

Eddie frowned at you for a moment before stretching his arm out across the table, and you gave him a thankful smile as you took his hand in both of his.

“You’re not going to spit in my palm and tell me I’ll own a house with a pool in the future are you?”

You rolled your eyes at him. “Hardly. I’m major league, not some high schooler,” you drawled, relaxing when he gave you an amused smile.

“Do you know what palmistry is, Eddie? It’s, basically, reading the lines on one’s palm. See, this one? This is your life line. See how it’s broken, like a dotted line? It means you’ve had trauma in your past.” When he frowned, pensively, you went on. “This one is the heart line. Yours shows that you’re a rational thinker, who always considers other people’s feelings. This one? This is the head line. A short line like this one means that you’re a quick thinker.”

While he digested that, you scowled down at his palm, turning his hand a little, pretending that there was a problem. It only took a moment for him to let out a worried, “What?”

“You’re missing something,” you murmured, gently brushing a thumb against his palm, raising your head to smile at him warmly. “Despite what you say about yourself, I don’t see any monster lines here.”

Eddie stared at you for moment, before a genuine smile tugged at his lips, and you took the opportunity to hold your own hand out to him. “Knowing what you know about me, and taking into considering society’s views on what I do, am I a monster?”

He visibly balked. “N-no! Of course not.”

“Then neither are you, Eddie.”

Warm hands rose to encase yours, and you met those steel blue eyes calmly, smiling a little when he gently turned your hand over to place a kiss to your knuckles. 

“I don’t suppose you have time to grace us with your company for dinner?”

You grinned. “For my hero? I have all the time in the world.”

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	7. Prey

Prompt: Venom prompt where fem reader is attacked by an enraged Venom in whatever circumstances you want. Make it a near death experience and barely to get out alive.

WARNING - Violence in this chapter! Along with some gore.

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You were running for your life.

Right arm broken and cradled to your side, at least one rib _definitely_ broken, you forced your aching body into a sprint, trying in vain to outrun the horror that was hunting you.

Everything had gone so batshit crazy so fast. Yeah, okay, you’d held up a Pharmacy, and _yes_ , you’d had a gun. But you’d been desperate, so desperate. Had thought it would be easy, just in and out, but the gun had been old and dirty and cheap, and you hadn’t expected it to go off.

The Pharmacist had screamed and clutched at her shoulder - alive, thank God - but the snarl that had risen from behind you, the monster that had grabbed you and snapped your arm like kindling, _that_ you hadn’t been ready for.

You’d barely gotten away by shooting Venom in the face, emptying the rest of the clip, ribs breaking when he had howled and thrown you aside - and through a display case - taloned hands rising to cup it’s head. Wheezing, blood on your tongue, you’d shoved the stolen pills in your pocket and scrambled to your feet, barely making it out the door before he had recovered.

Now, you wondered if you’d even survive the night. Venom - you’d recognized him from the news, _knew_ what he did to his  victims - was _hunting_ you, you’d seen glimpses of him as you bolted down the street, cutting through alleyways and then running through traffic in an attempt to lose your pursuer. Heard screams from behind you, car horns and shrieks of terror. Didn’t dare look back, too afraid of what’d you’d see, merely pushed your body even more

You had _no_ idea where to go. The subway was out - you could be easily cornered down there. Definitely not any more stores, and you _certainly_ couldn’t go to the cops.

There was a shriek of tearing metal, a groan of something heavy being lifted, and you risked a glance back, shrieking and throwing yourself aside to avoid the car that was launched at you. It hit a street light and bent it like a straw, glass shattering, the car sending bits of metal and more glass flying as it crashed to the ground.

Panicking, you shoved yourself up to your feet, catching yourself on your good arm when you tripped a little before you regained your balance.

That massive black monster lunged at you, one large hand swiping, and you blindly ducked, screaming when the hood on your sweater got caught in his talons.

He lifted you off your feet as if you weighted no more than a newborn kitten, and you clawed at your throat as your sweater went tight around your neck. Kicked wildly, struggling, even as that horrible face leaned in to grin at you, all those fangs bared.

“YOU’RE A TINY LITTLE THING, AREN’T YOU, THIEF?” His maw opened, a long, serpentine tongue lolling out, and you grimaced as he licked a path up the side of your face. “MM. YOU TASTE LIKE FEAR.”

Wheezing, you raked your good hand down the front of your sweater, ripping the zipper down. Your weight made you drop, a scream leaving you when your broken arm twisted as you slipped out of your hoodie and hit the ground. Managed one great gasp for air before there came a deep growl from the form towering over you.

He shredded your hoodie like it was paper, then reached for you, and you tucked your limbs in and tried to roll out of it’s reach. Got much further away than you planned when Venom kicked you, and you _felt_ another rib go as you went flying.

You slammed into a parked car, denting the door, the impact driving the air from your lungs. Lay there, watching as black feet and legs approached, while your lungs tried to remember how to work, diaphragm fluttering uselessly as you gasped for air.

Still, you fought, weakly kicking out, a breathless, high-pitched, shriek escaping you when he calmly stomped on your extended leg, breaking the bone in your calf as effortlessly as stepping on a twig.

“NO MORE RUNNING FOR YOU,” he sneered as he grabbed you by the throat and lifted you up to his level, sticking his face into yours again, a low rumbling laugh leaving him when you whimpered. “LIVER OR SPLEEN?”

The calm, conversational, question distracted you from beating on Venom’s arm with your good hand, a gurgle leaving you when his talons tightened around your neck.

“HMM. HOW ABOUT A TWO FOR ONE?”

Venom laughed at the scream that left you when he rose his other hand, a talon pressing on your belly. Your skin held up for a moment before giving way under the wickedly sharp claw, the digit sinking into your body and curling, slicing into something inside. You could only thrash in agony, vision going black at the edges, as he pulled his talon out, then licked at your blood and bits of organ.

Blood rose in your throat to coat your tongue, and you mindlessly tried to wriggle free, kicking out, whining when a dark tendril lashed around your legs and feet, immobilizing you. Blood poured from the wound in your abdomen, hot and sticky, wetting your tee shirt and jeans.

“STRANGE,” Venom mumbled as he licked all of your blood off his talon, eyeing you curiously. “YOU DON’T TASTE LIKE A DRUGGIE.”

That meant it had ‘tasted’ other people. That scared you more than anything else he could have done to you.

You could only dangle while he peered at the ground, another tendril lashing out from his left forearm, stretching towards the ruins of your hoodie. Despite your vision going black at the edges, you could see it pick up the dropped the bottle of pills you’d stolen, a curious hum leaving the monster as he pulled the container close.

He studied the bottle intensely, then used his thumb to pop the lid off, raising it closer as he took a sniff. Those horrible pale eyes turned to you after a long moment. “WHAT ARE THESE? A NEW BRAND OF DRUG WE HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE?”

Your breath left you in a gurgle, and Venom huffed an annoyed breath before the hand loosened a little around your throat. The breath you sucked in didn’t last, not when your belly sent a stab of hot pain through you. Coughing didn’t help either, but at the expectant look the monster gave you, at the warning talon that poked at another spot at your stomach, you managed to rasp out: “A-antibiotic!”

Venom looked visibly surprised. “WHAT?”

You couldn’t stop the tears that fell from your eyes, couldn’t stop the hiccup in your breathing. You felt cold - except for where your blood was soaking your clothes - and odd, as if you were drugged, everything feeling so floaty and far away. “Mom. ….s-sick. C-can’t afford d-d-doctor.”

Sirens sounded in the distance, closing in, and your mind slid sideways a little, more tears pouring down your cheeks as you thought of your mom, panic in full control as you started sobbing weakly. Venom’s hand tightened around your throat again, and you wheezed, eyes starting to roll back in your head.

The ground hit you, or maybe you hit the ground, you weren’t entirely conscious. Only felt agony as your broken body impacted with it. Warm wetness seeped into your clothes, and you idly realized that you’d landed in a pool of your own blood.

Those sirens were close, tires screeching on the asphalt. Heard footsteps running towards you, voices yelling for paramedics while hands pressed painfully hard on your abdomen. Your head lolled, vision only partially working, caught a glimpse of a massive form on the rooftop above before darkness claimed you.

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You were released from the hospital four weeks later, left leg and right arm in a cast, a huge new scar stretching across your abdomen and a healing hole in your skull from where the neurologist had been forced to drill a hole in order to ease the deadly pressure on your brain from a subdural hematoma.

The surgeons had been unable to save your terminally damaged spleen, and had been forced to remove half your liver in order to stop the deadly bleeding and remove the damage. You’d received twelve units of blood in total, more saline than you could count, several types of painkillers and an uncomfortable visit from the police.

They said it was a miracle you’d survived.

You were still wondering _why_ Venom had let you live.

Your mother had visited you as often as possible. She’d even started to look better during her visits, and some gentle questioning on your part had informed you that she’d found a bottle of antibiotics on the windowsill, a simple message of ‘get well soon’ attached to it.

Still. In the end, you were alive, your mom was alive….

Now all you needed to do was convince your mother to move.

Possibly to another city.

Or another state.

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	8. Aftermath (Sequel to 'Prey')

Prompt: I'm imagining in the aftermath of that dark prompt Reader starts /noticing/ things—odd shadows where there shouldn't be, maybe someone creepy at work starts avoiding her, little things that might be coincidences but also might not. She's got her suspicions of who's behind it, and while it's nice not having to deal with creepy coworker, she doesn't care for this shit at all, could you maybe not last time I was near you you just about killed me. I live for post-trauma recovery it's so good.

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Despite your continued insistence, you mother did not, in fact, wish to move. You couldn’t very well explain to her _why_ you wanted to get the heck out of town, because telling her that you’d robbed a pharmacy, shot a woman, and then gotten beat up by Venom would have given her an aneurysm.

Also, you were more afraid of your mother than of Venom.

Though the nightmares that you woke up screaming from every night made it hard to keep the entire thing secret from her.

Another thing complicating the whole ‘moving’ thing was the fact that if you left town, the hospital’s lawyers would track you down. You had accumulated quite the hospital bill - thank you ever so much _Venom_ \- and you were certain that you would be spending the rest of your life trying to pay the goddamn thing off.

Still, your mother was healing well. With the large bottle of antibiotics that had ‘mysteriously’ appeared at the apartment, she had recovered from her fever and chills, and the dangerous swelling of her left leg had decreased significantly. You’d done research on the internet, and were fairly certain that she’d had a dangerous infection called ‘cellulitis’. If she hadn’t gotten those meds, if the infection had gotten into her blood, she would have died.

You’d lost your job while recovering at the hospital - part time workers didn’t get any leeway, apparently. But you’d managed to get another job at a large bookstore, stocking shelves and working at the cash. It was hard with a leg and arm in a cast, but you managed. 

Didn’t help that one of your coworkers - the one in charge of the scheduling - was a fucking prick. But even though asshole gave you the shittiest shifts possible, money was money.

So you ignored the nasty comments as well as you could. Didn’t report the fucker when he started a game of ‘kick the crutch’. Did your job, didn’t rock the boat - despite the urge to bludgeon the asshole with one of your crutches - and kept your head down.

Three weeks into the job, on your way home, you started feeling like you were being watched. It was daytime so there were plenty of people around. But all looked like they were in their own heads, busy on phones or talking to others. You snuck more than one look up at the rooftops, just in case, eyes narrowing when a flock of pigeons on a nearby ledge suddenly took flight.

It kept on for days - but nothing ever came of it. Drove you nuts, but without any proof, without any _sign_ , you honestly started to think you were losing your mind. 

Maybe the neurologist had drilled a little _too_ far into your head.

Your doubt in your own mind vanished a week later, when the asshole at work came in gibbering, pale as a ghost, hands shaking, body trembling. He’d instantly rushed up to you, blubbering apologies, eyes constantly darting towards the main entrance as he promised he’d be on his best behaviour from now on and that you would be working better shifts and ‘please, take tomorrow off with full pay!‘

Well then. Hello confirmed reason for paranoia.

And, really, there was only one person/creature who could do that to your coworker. The others at the store were too afraid of the asshole giving them crappy shifts - or no shifts at all - to stand up for themselves. No way the manager of the store would have done it - she was a pushover and spent most of her time in the back on the computer.

That evening, after your shift, you hobbled home with a scowl on your face, hands clenched tight on the handholds of your crutches. Felt that same feeling of being watched, the hairs at the nape of your neck prickling. But again, you couldn’t _see_ anyone.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t there.

Grumbling a curse, you sped up as much as you could, your still tender ribs protesting as you power-crutched your way home. Only once you were inside the building, heading up to the apartment you shared with your mother, did the sensation of being stalked vanish, and you exhaled through your nose, relief at finally being safe at home unknotting the tension in your back.

That night, after your mother had gone to bed, you were sprawled on the couch, reading a well-worn paperback, only the light from a small lamp illuminating the living-room. At first, you thought it was another rat in the walls - thank you low income housing - but when you heard the creak of a window opening, you shot up, book flying.

There was a potted begonia on the windowsill. It sure as hell hadn’t been there before, because you usually killed plants just by looking at them.

Cursing, you grabbed your crutches and rushed out of the apartment, clumsily hobbling your way up the stairs and up to the roof access. You kicked it open with your good foot, the door banging loudly against the brick wall on either side of it as you moved out onto the rooftop.

“Alright! I fucking know you’re there! What the hell do you _want?!_ Didja come back to finish me off?!”

A long moment of quiet passed, where you could only hear the rumbling of passing cars and the rush of the slight breeze. You sighed after a full five minutes went by, slouching tiredly.

You turned to head back in, pausing when there was a loud thud from behind. Tensing, you awkwardly turned, hands clenching tight on your crutches as you gulped and met Venom’s gaze as he rose out of a crouch.

Couldn’t stop the panic that gripped your heart at the sight of him, your entire body tensing in preparation to run, cast be damned. You’d _throw_ yourself down the stairwell if you had to.

He obviously knew you were afraid, because he didn’t move, didn’t so much as twitch. Merely stood there and stared at you, those unearthly pale eyes almost glowing the darkness of the night.

“W-Wh-” You grimaced and gave yourself a mental smack. “Why have you been following me?”

He stared at you for a moment longer before tilting his head to the side. “WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE ALRIGHT.”

“Alright? _Alright?!_ You nearly killed me! I am several miles away from ‘alright’! I am _missing organs_ thanks to you! They had to use pins to rebuild my fucking bones!”

Of all things, he actually _flinched_. “WE KNOW. WE VISITED YOU IN THE HOSPITAL WHEN YOU WERE UNCONSCIOUS. DIDN’T MEAN…. WE THOUGHT YOU WERE SOMETHING ELSE. WE TRIED TO MAKE IT RIGHT! WE BROUGHT THE ANTIBIOTICS TO YOUR MOTHER.”

That information, the feeling of violation, hit you head on. Your head spun, and you locked onto the only thing that didn’t make any goddamn sense. “Who the fuck is ‘we’?!”

The blackness of his body rippled, and you stared, stunned, as it peeled back, exposing a rather haggard-looking man. Steel blue eyes met yours, his jaw clenching a little as he rolled his shoulders, the blackness around him shifting, forming into clothes, jeans and a leather jacket.

You aimed a crutch at him in warning when he took a step towards you. “Don’t.”

“We– I’m not going to hurt you.” He held his hands out, as if to show that he wasn’t armed. You knew better. You knew the thing living on him was more than capable of killing you before you could even make a run for it. “My name’s Eddie Brock. Venom, it’s a symbiote. An alien.”

Alien life. Fuck. “It’s an asshole. And I should bill you for my hospital stay.”

Eddie blinked. “We can help pay that if that’s what you want.”

You scowled, confused and overwhelmed and frightened. “What I _want_ is to know why you’re following me around!”

A deep, drawn out, sigh left him. “We’ve been hunting down a drug gang that’s been attacking pharmacies for narcotics. When you held up that store….” He shook his head. “It was a case of mistaken identity. And it’s no excuse for what we did…. We just…. We can’t undo that night. We would if we could. We just need you to be safe.”

You rose a hand to massage your aching temple. “And my coworker?”

His expression darkened, a bit of Venom’s voice melding with his own. “We didn’t like how he was treating you.”

You honestly had no idea how to respond anymore. Spent a good minute just staring at him, before you sighed, suddenly so tired your bones ached. “What do you want me to say, Eddie? What happened…. it can’t be undone. You nearly killed me, mistake or no. I can’t…. I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Nothing. We don’t want anything.” He scowled down at the rooftop for a moment before meeting your gaze again, pain and desperation visible in his eyes. “We just…. You’re right, what we did…. We can’t undo it. But we want to try to atone. Even if all you allow us to do is keep you safe from a distance…. We just want to help.”

Help? Your knee jerk reaction was to tell him to go fuck himself. But the real remorse in his expression made you pause. He’d given you his real name. You could go to the cops and out him, he had to be aware of that. 

Surprise washed through you when you realized that he’d done that on purpose. If you wanted revenge, it could be as easy as a phone call. One call and his free life would be over.  

He’d given you something to use against him.

Sighing - maybe the doctors _had_ drilled too far into your brain - you met his gaze again. “Tomorrow afternoon, I need to do a grocery run. You can help me carry stuff home.” Winced a little at the hope in his eyes, that relieved puppy-dog look almost making you feel bad for the harshness of your voice. “Just as yourself. No Venom. I can’t…. I can’t handle that right now.”

You didn’t wait for a reply. Turned and hobbled back into the building, nudging the door shut behind you before carefully making your way down the stairs to your floor.

Your mother had slept through your rampage out of the apartment, and she didn’t stir as you slipped back in, locking the door behind you. Went to turn off the light in the living-room, then dry-swallowed some Tylenol before going to your room, letting your crutches clatter to the floor as you belly flopped onto your bed.

First time in weeks that you didn’t have a nightmare.

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	9. Saved by the Devil

Prompt - Here's a prompt for you: blind reader is walking home at night, and gets bag-snatched. Venom apprehends the thief and returns reader's bag, but he's confused that they don't react to him like normal. Reader doesn't realize who this is and just thinks it's a nice passer-by, so they just kinda make small talk.

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You still dreamed of the blue sky.

You had been fifteen when you’d gotten what you and your parents had thought was a rather horrible case of the flu. A week in, you were so weak, you’d almost passed out during a visit to the doctor. He’d informed you and your folks that it was just a bad virus and sent you home.

Half an hour later, you were unconscious.

Panicking, your parents had brought you to the nearest hospital, where, after intensive testing, you were put into a medically induced coma and put on aggressive amount of antibiotics.

Three days later, you’d awoken to darkness and the information that you’d contracted meningococcal meningitis. The bacterial infection had caused the lining of your brain to become inflamed, almost killing you.

You’d survived, but your optic nerves, you’d been told, had been permanently damaged.

Blind at fifteen, you’d thought your life was over.

But you’d learned, slowly. Relearned how to find your way through the house, relearned how to feed yourself and read and even cook. Even gotten a brown belt in karate because being a blind woman in a big city was dangerous - there would always be predators looking for weakness.

You learned how to navigate with a ‘support cane’, tapping your way through the world. For a while, you’d even had a service dog, named Connor. He’d opened avenues to you that you’d thought impossible.

At eighteen you’d even managed to move out of your parents place into an apartment of your own. Connor had given you your independence.

Which was why it had been so devastating when he’d suddenly passed on three years later. You’d cried for days.

You were on a waiting list for a new Guide Dog, but in the meantime you were on your own.

For two weeks after losing him, you’d stayed cooped up in your apartment, afraid to leave. Connor had been your crutch in a way. Your support system and protector. He’d been your eyes in a world that wasn’t made for the blind to navigate.

Week three, you’d given yourself a mental pep talk, grabbed your cane, and convinced yourself to at least go to the store to buy some things you needed - milk, bread, the basics. You knew the way there - it was a straight line, after all, only three blocks. You’d long ago memorized the sounds and smells along the path you would take.

A brush of fingertips against a clock specially made for the blind told you it was evening, late, but not so late that the shop would be closed.

Trembling hands clenched tight around your care, you rode the elevator down to the main floor, then headed out. In your mind, every gentle swing of your cane lay a path out for you to follow. You imagined that it was not unlike how a bat saw the world - solid things were to be avoided, open paths followed. The familiar bark of a dog, the smell of flowers from a shop, the rumble of a laundromat, all of them were markers in your mental map that led to the small grocery store.

You were three-quarters of the way there when rapid footsteps from behind made you pause, tilting your head in the direction of the sound to try to figure out what was going on.

A sudden yank on your purse spun you, and you threw your arms out to catch yourself as you lost your balance, crashing to the ground with a loud ‘oof!’. Heard laughter, and more footsteps running away, and cursed under your breath.

Bloody pus spewing hell, you’d been purse snatched.

Moving slowly, you sat up and took stock of yourself. Your palms stung, raw from the concrete, and your knees were sore, but a quick pat down of your clothing at least let you know that nothing had ripped. It took you a moment to find your cane, and you grumbled when you tugged it close, cursing. It was snapped in half.

Great. Just great.

You moved to get to your feet, then tensed when a scream cut through the air, high pitched, almost blood curdling in it’s intensity. And it was nearby too.

Ooookay. Time to go.

You managed to get to your feet, then, arms extended, took a few steps until you encountered the post of a street light. Instantly, your mental map re-adjusted. Right was home, left was the store.

The hell with milk and bread, you’d had just about enough excitement for the day, thank you asshole purse-snatcher. You had a spare cane in the closet and a friend on the second floor that would happily do your grocery for a mere five dollar tip.

You really missed Connor.

Taking a fortifying breath, you were about to start heading home when there was a thud from behind you. Praying that you weren’t about to be mugged or worse, you turned in that direction. “Who’s there?”

Silence greeted you, and you scowled, shifting your footing as you got into a ready stance, prepared for a potential fight. You could hear breathing, low, heavy, could almost physically _feel_ the presence nearby. “Look, I know you’re there. Either talk or go away!”

You felt the air in front of your face move, and lashed out, slapping a large hand away. Whoever it was had been waving it in front of your face.

“Don’t be _rude_ ,” you growled, hands curling into fists at your sides.

There was a shift of mass, before a huff of laughter broke the tense silence. “FOUND YOUR PURSE.”

The voice was…. predatory. Definitely male. Deep, rumbling, _dangerous_ -sounding. But the hands that carefully pushed your familiar feeling purse into your hands were gentle, and you frowned as you grabbed at the leather bag, sticking a hand in, relief welling up in you when you felt the familiar metal studs on your wallet.

You let out a breath, relaxing a little, gratitude making you smile. “Thank you. Were you…. the reason for the screaming?”

A smug chuckle rumbled forth. “TAUGHT THE LITTLE THIEF A LESSON HE WON’T SOON FORGET.”

“Aha.” You waffled over things for a moment, then sighed. “Look, would you mind walking me home? It isn’t far! Just a couple of blocks. I just…. I’m a little freaked out and I could use the company.”

A moment of silence seemed to stretch on forever before you heard him shift. “YOU’RE NOT AFRAID?”

“You helped me, even though you didn’t have to. Two cars drove by between the time when I was purse snatched and when I finally got to my feet. No one else cared, no one else helped. So, no, I’m not afraid of you.”

He shifted again before you sensed him move closer, a large hand taking your right arm and gently hooking it through the crook of his elbow. His height surprised you, as did the muscles in his arm. He probably had the strength to snap you in half.

“Well, you’re a big one, aren’t you?”

Another chuckle rumbled out of him. “YOU’RE JUST TINY.”

“No short jokes.” It took a bit for the two of you to fall into proper step. He was taller, and had to adjust his gait so he wouldn’t yank you off your feet. “It isn’t far. Thank you for helping me, by the way. I really do appreciate it.”

“YOU’RE A STRANGE LITTLE NIBBLE. MOST PEOPLE RUN AWAY.”

You quirked a brow at the ‘little nibble’ part, but decided to ignore the odd term. “I prefer to judge people by how they treat other others, especially those in need of help. You’re kind, compassionate, helpful. I don’t have a reason to run.”

There was a moment where you could feel him staring at you. “STILL STRANGE.”

A laugh bubbled out of you. “Strange good or strange bad?”

“GOOD. NICE NOT TO BE SCREAMED AT.”

“Aw, I’m sorry.” You patted the large arm that your hand was resting on. “People suck sometimes.”

He grunted, and you had the feeling he was staring at you again, but you didn’t protest. The following silence made you antsy, so you rushed to fill it with conversation. “Do you live around here?”

“CLOSE ENOUGH. WE WERE GOING TO BUY CHOCOLATE AT THE STORE, BUT WE SAW THAT MAN KNOCK YOU OVER AND STEAL YOUR PURSE. WE COULDN’T LET HIM GET AWAY.”

“We?”

There was a huff. “IT’S COMPLICATED.”

“Hint taken, I won’t ask.” The scent of geraniums made you pause however, your escort stumbling to a stop next to you as you took a discreet sniff of the air, the familiar smell of the large planter of flowers outside your building making you smile. “This is me. Number 525?”

“YES.”

“Well, thanks for being my own personal hero.” You patted his arm before gently pulling away, pausing for a moment before throwing caution to the winds and moving to hug him. He was _definitely_ taller than you, and probably some sort of weight lifter, judging by the size of him.

He froze at the embrace, going still for a heartbeat before massive arms gently wrapped around you in a brief embrace before letting go again, as if he was afraid to touch you.

You took the hint and stepped back. “Sorry if I crossed a line or something. I just _really_ appreciate the help. You’re my hero, you really are.”

“….NO ONE’S EVER CALLED US A HERO BEFORE,” he muttered, sounding surprised and almost in disbelief.

“Guess I have the honor of being the first,” you smiled before turning, fingertips brushing over the familiar braille that the Superintendent had installed onto the handle of the building’s main entrance. “You take care of yourself, hero.”

“YOU TOO, LITTLE NIBBLE. STAY SAFE.”

There was an odd noise, followed followed by a rush of air, and you had the sudden knowledge that you were alone again. Shrugging, you stepped into the safety of the building and headed up to your apartment, relieved and thankful for the odd man that had retrieved your purse and walked you home.

.

.

.


	10. Moral Compass (Venom Movie Prompt)

Prompt - Venom Movie Prompt: Reader is a Life Foundation scientist part-time that had been taking care of the Venom Symbiote and talked to it to pass the time and to monitor it's behavior. Unaware of what Carlton Drake had really been using them for she hears about a suspected break-in at work. Carlton is furious and wants his Symbiote back, starts to realize the secrets and is not sure if she wishes to stay there. She then gets a visitor that takes care of her like she did for them.

* * *

 

.

.

.

It had been your dream job. 

You’d never thought that a paper you’d submitted to your University professor would have gotten you a part time job, never mind one at the Life Foundation itself!

But by some chance, some shining star, you’d gotten an interview with Carlton Drake himself. You’d been nervous, sure, but not so nervous that you’d made a fool of yourself, not if the part-time job you’d landed in his genetics department was any clue.

Learning that there wa _s_ bonafide proof of alien life had rocked your world. Learning that you’d be one of the few allowed near such life while running genetics tests on it? Mind-blowing. 

The first time you’d seen the alien ‘symbiote’ in it’s glass canister, you’d been surprised. You’d honestly been expecting something more out of the movie genre that you’d been low-key obsessed with during your teenage years. Alien goo, that wasn’t something that you had been prepared for. Well… was the Blob alien? You couldn’t remember.

Either way, it was weird.

Still, as you and your fellow geneticists studied it, you quickly came to a realization that it had some sentience. It definitely flinched away from the probes that were used to take some of it’s physical makeup, banged against the canister in an attempt to get loose, and the high pitched ‘scream’ that left it when one of the scientists quelled it’s escape attempts with the electric shocks had almost made you cry. 

It raised some serious problems with you. You’d even mentioned it to the other scientists, but they had waved you off, laughing at you. You were too young, apparently, seeing things that weren’t there.

Your moral compass was starting to go off kilter.

You were unable to really _do_ anything - you _needed_ the job. You had so much debt to pay off from putting yourself through school, and the Life Foundation payed handsomely.

What you could do, however, you did.

A familiar screech reached your ears one day, and you looked up from your computer, scowling at ‘Adam’ a fellow geneticist with a mean streak a continent wide. He loved nothing more than to shock that poor alien for the slightest reason. Another thing that made you think the symbiote was sentient - it tended to hiss at Adam and press itself as far away from the man as possible whenever the Adam went near it.

“Adam, what the hell are you doing?” It was a dangerous thing, to stick your neck out with Adam around. He was a bully, in every sense of the word. He was constantly complaining to Carlton Drake that you were on the team, trying to get you fired.

But the screaming, it sent shivers down your spine. You were certain Adam used to torture small animals when he was a kid.

When Adam didn’t answer, you snatched your pepper spray out of your purse and rose off your chair, ignoring the butterflies in your stomach as you stomped over to him. “Goddamn it, Adam, stop _torturing_ the poor thing!”

The heavyset man eyed you darkly, and you locked your knees to keep from running at the hate in his eyes. “Oh, fuck off. It’s not like it actually hurts it.”

“It’s _screaming._ ”

“Hah. Sounds like singing to me.”

Oh good lord he was a sick fuck. “You’re getting off on this, aren’t you?”

 _That_ hit a nerve, because he rose his thumb from the security panel that controlled the instruments used to both subdue and take samples from the alien, then turned towards you, brows drawn inward in a glower. 

“The _fuck_ is _that_ supposed to mean?”

Well shit, you’d poked the wasps nest. “It means that I think you’re torturing the poor thing because it’s helping you get your rocks off. Probably the only way too, can’t imagine any woman with a brain going near a bully like you.”

He snarled something and took one menacing step forward, pausing when you stuck your can of pepper spray in his face. His eyes literally crossed as he stared at it.

“Touch me,” you growled. “And I will empty this entire thing into your eyes. If there’s any justice in the world, then it’ll probably fucking _blind_ you.“

He breathed heavily, like a bull ready to charge, but took a step back. You kept the spray raised, stance ready in case he lunged or reached for you, but Adam merely glared at you a moment longer before snarling a curse. 

“You just lost your fucking job, bitch. Threatening a senior employee and bringing a weapon past Security, you’ll be lucky if you’re not arrested.”

“Just fuck off before I figure out how to rip the shock mechanism out of this panel so I can electrocute you,” you snapped. Adam glared at you a moment longer, then turned and stomped back to his separate office space. “Jesus, how the hell did he pass the psychiatric screening.”

Sighing, shoulders slumped, you turned towards the canister, and the symbiote held within. “I’m sorry,” you murmured, daring to reach out to press two fingers to the glass. “I can’t– Adam’s right, I’m going to get fired. I _needed_ this job, but if you’re as smart as I think you are, then it’s worth it. I’m sorry he keeps hurting you, and I’m sorry that you’re trapped here.”

There was a moment of silence, where the symbiote undulated in it’s prison - because it was a prison, you’d realized. It was a prisoner, and you and the others had been experimenting and cutting off pieces of it. Jesus.

You were about to pull away when it moved, pressing up against where you were touching the glass. You blinked, staring at it for a moment. It was the first, non-aggressive move it had made to date. Usually it thrashed and shrieked and tried to attack anyone that came near it.

Then again, if situations were reversed, wouldn’t you?

Figuring that it was your last day at the Lab, you decided that finishing your current DNA breakdown of the latest sample taken from the symbiote would be a waste of time. 

So you pulled up a chair and kept your hand pressed against the canister, merely talking to the symbiote for the rest of your shift. Babbled about your classes as the University, and _why_ you’d taken the job at the Life Foundation, then tangented your way to talking about little things. Your hobbies, dreams, your family. Told it about the City in case it ever got free, about the dangers and the beautiful things and the people that weren’t complete assholes.

When it was time for you to leave, you gave the symbiote one last look, then used your body to block your movements as you lifted a maintenance panel on the computer panel that controlled the shocking and dissecting instruments, feeling for the needed wires and yanking them out. 

“There. No more shocks. Not until they realize it’s broken, anyway.” A sigh left you as you stared down at the imprisoned symbiote, fully convinced that it was staring back. “I’m sorry I can’t do more. I really am–”

Noise from the direction of the elevators made you frown, and you huffed when you heard Adam’s voice raving at someone, someone who turned out to be a security guard. “Looks like I’m going to be escorted out of the building too. God how I _loathe_ that man.”

Shoulders slumping, you went to leave your lab coat on your chair, then grabbed your purse, pausing by the symbiote again before leaving the Lab. “If you see a chance to escape, no matter how small, _take it_. I don’t know what Carlton Drake has in store for you, but it can’t be good. If you need help–” You rushed to whisper your address as the security guard opened the glass door to the Lab.

“Ma’am? I’ve been ordered to escort your out of the building.”

“Never been happier to be fired from a job,” you spat in Adam’s direction as you stormed past the guard, flipping Adam off as you headed down the hallway. Smirked when you heard the guard tell him to back off - poor baby had a short fuse.

The next week and a half went by as boringly as possibly. You easily fell back into the rhythm of things before the Life Foundation job. Balancing school and waitressing at a bar was old hat by now, you could do it in those sleep deprived moments called ‘unconsciousness’.

It was while bringing drinks to a group of frat boys that you saw the headline - a massive explosion at the Life Foundation. Fifteen dead, more wounded. Carlton Drake was on damage control, saying that it was an accidental electrical fire that had spread to one of the labs and ignited some samples, but you knew better.

“Good for you,” you murmured under your breath. Stared at the TV screen a little too long if the look from your boss was any indication, and you quickly went back to work. _This_ job, you didn’t want to lose. It didn’t have the questionable morality that the other one had. That, and the tips were good.

What you _weren’t_ expecting was to find Carlton Drake waiting for you at the end of your shift. The man - dressed in a suit that probably would have set you up for rent for a year - was flanked by two muscled guards that quickly herded you towards, and into, the alleyway next to the bar.

“Where is it?!”

You blinked and played stupid. “Where’s what?”

Drake glared. “Don’t play dumb. The _symbiote_ it’s _gone!_ Attached itself to some guy and killed half the staff and security before vanishing into the damned City.”

You eyed the guards by his sides before huffing. “Well how the hell should I know?“

“Because _you_ are the only one that seemed to have a rapport with the alien. I saw the security footage of you defending it from Mr. Harrison. Honestly, if you’d simply _told me_ that he was torturing it instead of threatening him, you’d still have a job.”

“A job where I’d be dissecting a sentient creature. Pass. Hard pass. Some of us have this thing called ‘morality’.”

”Which is why the symbiote responded to you,” he pressed. When you stayed silent, he rolled his eyes and pulled out a business card. “If it comes to you, contact me. I’ll reward you handsomely. You’ll never have to work at a dump like this again. One call, and I’ll have an entire security force at your side in five minutes and a check in your hands in ten.”

You hesitated. That much money…. But the memory of the symbiote screaming in pain made you shake your head. “No thanks.”

Drake stared at you as if he couldn’t understand the words that had come out of your mouth. Finally, he glowered and shoved the business card back into his pocket. “Stupid girl. Fine, have it your way. You’ll be watched from now on. You won’t see them, but I’ll have people following you twenty-four-seven. If…. _when_ the symbiote comes to you, and I have a firm belief that it will, I advise you not to get in the way.”

You glared at his back as he turned away, his two goons following a step behind him as he walked back to his black Cadillac, the driver holding the door open for him. The urge to run over and score the Caddy’s paint job with your keys rose, but you didn’t fancy a bullet to the head.

For the next three days, you had the firm sensation of being watched. It made your skin crawl. As Carlton Drake had said, you never spotted your tail, but you knew it was there. Hoped beyond hope that the symbiote had the sense _not_ to come to you, because you really didn’t want it to get caught. 

You wished you hadn’t told it where you lived. But hindsight was twenty-twenty.

One night, after a double shift at the bar, you were in your apartment studying, books open on the small kitchen table as you tried to put together something coherent for paper due in a week. The coffee was brewing strong - you were on your second cup, late hour be-damned.

All the windows were covered in thick curtains - new curtains that you’d bought to hide yourself from the prying eyes you _knew_ were there. You’d even added two new security locks to the front door, and had an aluminum baseball bat nearby in case you needed to bash any asshole trying to get in. It was all you could do on a meager student’s budget. 

You knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Which was why, when you heard a knock on the door, your first instinct was to snatch up that bat and get ready to bash some heads. You sidled up to the door and rose on your tiptoes to peer through the spy-hole, blinking at the guy on the other side. Tall, muscled, blue eyes, short brown hair, wearing jeans a shirt and a black leather jacket. Who the fuck was he and why was he at your door at…. You blinked when you realized it was one in the morning. Fucksakes you had classes at eight.

You rose your voice so you’d be heard through the door. “Who is it?”

“Uh, hi? Our– _My_ name’s Eddie Brock. I, um, look I know it’s late and this is weird, but I have a…. _friend_ who knows you.”

“Good for you. That tells me nothing at all about why you’re at my door at one in the morning.“

There was an amused tone to his voice when he spoke next. “If I were to tell you, you probably wouldn’t open the door.”

You rolled your eyes. “Well, now that all my red flags are up, this is the point where I tell you to fuck off.” 

Silence stretched on for a moment, before mumbling was heard on the other side. Something that actually sounded like arguing. Oh goody. You had a crazy person on the other side of your door.

Eddie spoke up again a heartbeat later. “I’m not going away until you talk to me.”

“Then enjoy sleeping in the hallway. Also, if you’re still there in the morning, I am, presently, in possession of a bat. Which I shall happily use on you if you make me late for class.”

“You got a chain on that door?”

You scowled. “Two. And a _bat.”  
_

 _“_ Then you don’t have to let me in. I just want to say my piece and then I’ll leave. Scout’s honor.”

You waffled over that for a moment. Maybe too long, because there was a curious ‘hello?’ from the other side of the door. “I’m thinking!” you called back, pushing away from the door and pacing a little.

Crazy man outside the door, assholes keeping watch, and you had a bat. Yeah, you were going to die.

Sighing, thinking perhaps, lack of sleep had made you stupid, you slid both chains into place, then unlocked the door and opened it enough to peek out. “Talk fast.”

He blinked at you. “You’re prettier than he said you were.”

“Okay then. Closing the door now.”

“Wait, wait! I’m sorry. Please don’t go. He’s been driving me nuts for days trying to get me to come here.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “And who would ‘he’ be, exactly?”

“He calls himself ‘Venom’.” 

“Uh _huh._ ”

Eddie rose a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “I’m fucking this up. Look, I’m a reporter. I was trying to expose Carlton Drake and his Life Foundation for experimenting on homeless people and– Are you alright?”

You felt like throwing up. He’d been doing _what?!_ God, it was so much worse than just torturing aliens. It took everything you had to keep from having a mild panic attack. “Sorry, Mr. Brock. I don’t do interviews.”

“Oh, no. I’m not here for that. I got too close to the truth and he… Look, long story short, I know about the symbiotes.”

Plural. There had been more than one. Your brain latched onto that and didn’t let go. “There was more than one?!”

He frowned. “You didn’t know?”

“No! I— Wait. Why the fuck _are_ you here then? Who the hell is your ‘friend’ and why would…. they….” Your voice trailed off at the familiar blackness that extended from his ‘jacket’ and reached out to touch your hand. You’d thought it would feel sticky or wet, but all you felt was a coolness as the symbiote curled around your fingers. “Holy shit. Holy _shit!_ You shouldn’t be here! You can’t be here! Drake, he’s got people watching me! You have to run–” 

A darkness flit across Eddie’s eyes. “They won’t be a problem for you anymore.”

You went still. That _hadn’t_ been Eddie’s voice. 

Well, at least your hunch that the symbiote was sentient had been proven. Take that Adam.

Eddie blinked a bit, the blue returning to his eyes as he met your stunned gaze again. Even quirked a smile at you as you watched the bit of symbiote retreat from your hand and vanish into his ‘jacket’. “We _promise_ , we won’t hurt you.”

You felt like babbling incoherently. Instead, you slid the chains off and opened the door fully, stepping back as he entered. Kept a hold on the bat, mostly because you felt too numb to let go of it as you mechanically closed the door, locking it.

He was eyeing all the open books and scattered papers on the kitchen table when you turned to look at him, and Eddie glanced up when he felt your stunned stare. “You’re not going to pass out are you?”

“Don’t get snippy, I have a bat,” you mumbled as you staggered past him, going to sit down on the edge of the couch. “So, it– the symbiote. It _is_ sentient.”

Eddie moved to lean on the wall opposite you, thankfully giving you the room you needed to process things. “Painfully so. Can’t get it to shut up half the time. Ow! Goddamn it!” You looked up to see him rubbing at the side of his neck, where a tiny bite mark was visible. “Quit it!”

“You bonded with it.” You and the others at the Lab had guessed that it would be possible for a human to ‘host’ the symbiote. It hadn’t been proven, merely an educated hypothesis. But you knew now that Carlton Drake hadn’t been merely ‘studying’ the symbiotes. He’d been experimenting on them, _and_ on people.

“Yeah. Drake…. Bastard caught me while I was snooping around and used me as an experiment. He expected it to kill me, not bond with me and use me to escape.”

“Use you?”

“Wasn’t exactly planning on bonding with an alien,” Eddie drawled with a tired smirk. “It’s been…. hard. It– Venom. It’s predatory as hell. Kill first, nevermind the questions, y’know? But I can be a stubborn bastard too. And apparently symbiotes prefer willing hosts rather than ones they have to constantly fight with. So we came to an…. understanding. I honestly didn’t expect him to drag me here. Or that he even knew anyone else in the City.”

You tightened your hand on the bat at the curious tone of his voice. “I had a part time job at the Life Foundation. I didn’t know about…. most of what you told me. The human experiments, the other symbiotes…. I’m just a geneticist, fuck I’m still in University…. I’m basically a glorified lab rat. I thought it was a good job but….”

“But you figured out the symbiote was sentient.”

“Yeah. There was another scientist that liked to torment it, and I threatened him into backing off….” You rose your gaze to Eddie, who was watching you calmly. “Is it alright? It’s safe with you?”

“Kinda more like I’m safe with it.” He let you digest that for a moment before pushing off from the wall. “He wants to talk to you. Is that alright?”

You blinked. “It… it can do that?”

“With a host, yeah. Just…. don’t scream.”

“Scream? Why would I–” Your eyes widened as blackness encompassed Eddie. It cocooned him, growing bigger, easily growing to seven feet tall, massive shoulders and arms, hands tipped with wicked talons. Pale eyes opened to peer at you, a long tongue curling out from a large fang filled maw to lick at it’s lips.

Okay, yeah. You felt like screaming. 

_Barely_ managed to stay quiet, merely clinging to your bat. A bat that the creature in front of you could probably use as a toothpick after it killed you and ate your corpse.

It - Venom - seemed upset at your fear, a voice like dark, predatory, rolling thunder filling the small apartment. “SHH, LITTLE MORSEL. WE WOULD NEVER HARM YOU. DON’T BE AFRAID.”

Afraid? Oh, you were beyond afraid. “To be fair, you’re…. very different,” you grated out. “And big. Very big.”

“HEH. THAT WE ARE. EDDIE IS A GOOD HOST. IF A LITTLE ANNOYING.” Venom walked across the room, crouching in front of you and reaching out to place a massive hand against your face, cupping your cheek. “WE WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM, BUT WE REMEMBERED YOU. REMEMBERED WHAT YOU SAID, THAT NOT ALL HUMANS ARE LIKE DRAKE OR ADAM. THAT SOME ARE LIKE YOU, KIND, BRAVE.”

Your breath left you in a trembling sigh. “Not that brave. I didn’t want to leave you there. I really didn’t.”

“THEY WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU, WE KNOW.” He rumbled, brushing his thumb across your cheek before pulling away, tilting his head as he regarded you. “WE WANT TO KEEP YOU SAFE. WE TOOK CARE OF THOSE STALKING YOU.”

“Stalking– You mean Drake’s men? But, he’ll know you’ve been here!”

A chuckle left him, low, baritone, predatory. “WE KNOW HOW TO COVER OUR TRACKS, MORSEL. THEY’LL NEVER FIND THE BODIES.”

You didn’t know if that was a comfort or not. Finally decided that you didn’t much care. Drake and his assholes could rot in hell. “Thanks. I didn’t much like them shadowing me all the time.”

“WE KNOW. WE WERE IN THE SHADOWS WHEN DRAKE OFFERED YOU MONEY FOR TURNING US IN.” At your horrified and shocked expression, he rumbled again, soothingly this time. “WE KNEW YOU WOULDN’T SIDE WITH HIM. BUT WE COULDN’T MEET YOU UNTIL WE TRACKED DOWN HIS MEN. THERE WERE MANY.”

“Do I even want to know how long _you’ve_ been tailing me?”

A hissing laugh left him. “PROBABLY NOT.”

“Alrighty then.” Your hand cramped from clutching at the bat as tightly as you were, and you winced a bit as you forced your stiff fingers to uncurl from around it, setting it aside. Venom seemed pleased that you’d set your ‘weapon’ aside, a happy sort of murring noise leaving him. “So…. why _did_ you track me down?”

“WANT TO KEEP YOU SAFE. AND….” You blinked at the tired grumble that followed. “EDDIE SAYS THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE, NOT INTRUDE, BUT WE HAVE NO WHERE ELSE TO GO.” 

Did you really want an alien crashing on your couch? A sigh left you as you gave that some thought, but, in the end, you knew you’d cave. You _had_ told the symbiote to track you down if it needed help, and it had. Hadn’t expected it to drag someone else along with it, but that just made things more complicated.

“Alright,” you murmured, smiling a little at the happy rumble that left Venom. “You can stay. You can sleep on the couch.” 

He blinked and offered up a curious hiss. “NOT WITH YOU? YOU DON’T TRUST US? WAIT– EDDIE IS COMPLAINING AGAIN. BOUNDARIES?”

A soft laugh left you. “Humans don’t usually share beds with people unless they’re in a relationship with them.”

Fangs were bared in distaste. “THIS IS MORE WEIRD, COMPLICATED, HUMAN THINGS, ISN’T IT?”

“Yup.” You sent a glance at a clock, sighing when you saw it was past two-am. No way you were going to get any work done on that paper now. Class was at eight, and you had to be up and out of the apartment by seven. Five hours sleep…. ugh. “Look, I’m tired, and it’s so late that I’m going to skip my classes tomorrow. Lemme get some sleep, and I’ll let you ask all the questions you want about us weird, complicated, humans. Deal?”

“HEH. DEAL.”

Two hours later, you woke up to the feeling of a large body slipping into bed behind you, now-familiar cool tendrils curling around you as large arms encased you in a hug. 

A low rumble sounded in your ear. “COUCH WAS LONELY. AND TOO SMALL.”

Absolutely no clue about boundaries.

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	11. Feline Tendencies

Prompt - While I'm thinking about it, Vemon getting affectionate scritches too?

* * *

 

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Weirdness was rather status quo for you now. Dating a man that hosted an alien symbiote was definitely up there on your freak-factor scale. Right next to that spam email about vegetarian cross-dressing midgets looking for love. That had been the subject line of the email too.

Currently, you were a pillow for the heavy, purring mass that was Venom. You and Eddie had gone to bed around midnight, and as soon as the man had fallen asleep, the symbiote had taken control. He’d pinned you to the mattress and then nuzzled into your boobs, licking at your collarbone as he got comfortable.

You rolled your eyes at the happy purring that came from him as you rose your hands to lightly scratch your nails against the spot directly between his shoulder blades. It wasn’t something that Eddie enjoyed unless he had an itch, but Venom, for some reason, _melted_ when you scratched him in various spots. The nape of his neck, the spot between shoulder blades, and sometimes his chest and abdomen, when he wasn’t lying on top of you.

The near-predatory sounding purr that was rumbling out of him ratcheted up a notch, making your bones vibrate. You kept up the scritches - because that’s what they _totally_ were in your mind - until he extended a tendril from his back to gently coax you to move your hands up to the base of his skull.

Definitely like some sort of intergalactic predatory cat. No wonder the symbiote was fascinated with the feline pets - you now had a hunch that maybe one of his previous hosts was some sort of cat-like creature.

God help the City if he ever discovered the symbiote version of catnip.

Though you did have to muffle a snicker at the thought of trying to get him to behave by spritzing him with water. And he’d _never_ be able to sneak up on you ever again if you put a bell on him!

He made a quizzical noise and rose his head to peer at you, and your badly muffled laughter grew into full on giggling. 

“Sorry!” you gasped, trying desperately to control yourself. “Just…. weird mental images.”

A rumble left him as he nipped at your chin. “DO WE WANT TO KNOW?” 

You fizzled, biting your lower lip. Had a brief image of him chasing a piece of chocolate on a string while wearing kitty cat ears and lost your shit all over again. 

Venom, apparently used to human weirdness by now, merely shook his head and tucked you closer, resting his head back onto your boobs while you snickered. “STRANGE LITTLE MORSEL.”

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	12. Out Damned Spot! Out!

Prompt - venom/eddie sleeping in after a long night out hunting down criminals and reader has to coax them out of bed because they left a mess everywhere. whether it their blood or some poor saps blood is unclear but they need to get up eventually and get washed up?

* * *

 

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Last thing you expected when you got home was to find out that your apartment looked like something out of the movie _Carrie_. It wasn’t the first time Eddie/Venom had come home covered in blood and grime, but it _was_ the first time you’d found them in that state _in bed._

You’d followed the bloody footprints from the front door to the bedroom, grimacing when you’d spied Eddie’s naked body sprawled across the bed. This would usually be a Good Thing, except he was covered in dry and drying blood.

Goodbye four-hundred thread count sheets.

Panic was the first thing you felt, and you rushed over to Eddie, poking and prodding him, ignoring the sleepy grumble and weak struggle he gave as you tried to figure out if the blood was his.

The low hiss that accompanied a sleepy swat from a symbiote tendril at least told you that the alien your boyfriend was bonded with was still coherent. If it was being snippy, there was a good chance that Eddie was merely exhausted, not hurt.

Still.

“Up.” You poked Eddie in the ribs, right where he was ticklish, rolling your eyes when he grumbled in his sleep and rolled away from you. You seriously debated shoving him off the bed as you eyed the old, sticky, blood on your fingertip. Gross. “One of you needs to get up and get washed because you’ve ruined the bed and you _smell_ like a corpse! Now get up!”

When neither moved, you pulled out the big guns. “I know where your chocolate stash is you lazy thing. Either you get up or it’s going bye-bye.”

 _Finally_ there was movement. Movement in the way of inky blackness that covered Eddie like a wave, the symbiote shifting and moving around him until it was Venom that was sprawled across the bed.

Pale eyes opened to glare up at you where you stood next to the bed with your hands on your hips. “MORSEL–”

You’d long ago stopped being afraid of Venom. He’d proven time and time again that you were possibly the only person in the City that _didn’t_ have to be afraid of him. “Don’t you ‘morsel’ me, buster. Get up and get Eddie into that shower. I need to change the bed and throw out those sheets before I go wash the bloody _footprints_ off the floor!”

There came a long, drawn out, groan as Venom petulantly hid his face against an equally bloody pillow. You waited it out, then when he didn’t move, sighed. “C’mon, Venom, please? I just pulled an eight hour shift and I’m tired too. Just make Eddie take a quick shower and I’ll clean up while you do. In and out, five minutes.”

He turned his head to peer up at you, then huffed when you did your best to look pitiful. Grumbling, he pushed himself up on his arms, pale eyes narrowing as he stared down at the bed beneath him in mild disgust. “DOESN’T SMELL LIKE YOU ANYMORE.”

“Nothing covered in that much blood and dirt ever could,” you retorted as you pulled a fresh set of sheets out of the closet. “Shower, please.”

“HRM.” Venom shoved himself up and rolled from the bed, watching as you grabbed a handful of sheet and whipped them off the bed.

You bundled them up in a ball, then carried them out of the room, using them to clean up the worst of the bloody footprints. You’d still need to get down on your hands and knees to wash the remnants, but the worst was gone. Everything went into a large garbage bag that you dumped next to the door for transport down to the building’s trash bin.

Luckily - for Venom - you heard the shower start. Knew that he’d use most of the hot water, but at least he and Eddie would get clean. You huffed and went to place fresh sheets on the bed and pillows, then went to deal with the remainder of the bloody footprints.

You were on your hands and knees, scrubbing at the hardwood floor - if it stained you’d raise hell - when Venom finally emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam following him out into the hallway. You muttered something cross under your breath as you put more elbow grease into your work, grumbling about selfish symbiotes and asshat boyfriends.

Maybe he heard you, or maybe Eddie had finally regained enough consciousness to take control, but you soon found yourself nose face to face with Venom as he knelt down to your current level. One taloned hand tugged another Lysol sheet out of the plastic container, a disgusted hiss leaving him as he recoiled from the smell of it.

“It’s lemon,” you offered with a smirk.

“NO IT’S NOT,” he growled, though he did move to help you, pausing when his talons sliced through the sheet and scored the hardwood. “OOPS.”

You looked at him through your bangs, your initial irritation fading at the uncharacteristically flummoxed look on his face. “How about you go make us some sandwiches and I’ll finish up here?” you offered.

Eddie had taught the symbiote how to make sandwiches when the alien had wanted to make a meal for you one evening. Venom was now able to make the most awesome sandwiches, heavy on the meat, of course. And while the alien _hated_ mustard and mayo, the sandwiches were always filling. Venom always seemed thrilled that he could make you a meal.

So while you listened to Venom make a new mess in the kitchen - at least this one he’d clean up himself - you finished scrubbing the dried up bloody footprints off the floor, creaking up onto your feet when you were finished. Stretching made things in your back and shoulders pop, and you groaned, pressing your hands against the small of your back.

Your hands stunk like Lysol, so you went to wash them before putting the container away. Waiting for you on the dining table was a large sandwich with triple kinds of meat and two kinds of cheese, along with a can of root beer from the fridge.

Venom was on his second sandwich by the time you sat down at the table, more than happy to let him shove sandwiches into his maw as fast as he could make them. You merely squished your own sandwich down to a thinness you could actually get into your mouth before taking a bite, humming in pleasure at the awesome tastes.

“GOOD?”

“Mmhm!” You gave him a thumbs up, unwilling to talk with your mouth full. Heard his deep chuckle as he started to make a third sandwich for himself.

He’d had time to make and down a fourth sandwich by the time you’d finished yours, and you washed it down with some root beer before standing to go wash your plate in the sink, pausing when a tendril snatched it out of your hands.

“LEAVE IT FOR LATER, MORSEL,” Venom rumbled as he brushed past and put the few remaining sandwich ingredients back into the fridge, turning to finish off your root beer. As soon as he’d finished crushing the can into a little ball, he scooped you into his arms and headed for the bedroom. No doubt that was his plan all along - both Venom and Eddie were cuddle freaks.

He only released you after carrying you into the bedroom, and you sighed as he helped you unbutton your blouse, tugging it off of you and tossing it in the general direction of the laundry basket. Was even kind enough to help you balance as you wriggled out of your pants, tendrils helping you push your jeans down your legs and off.

It was only when you murmured that you needed to use the bathroom before bed that he seemed a little off, muttering something under his breath. But you ignored it, thinking that maybe he was talking to Eddie.

The curtain to the shower was drawn, and you didn’t give it much mind as you used the facilities, then washed your hands and face. Only a brief thought that the condensation from Venom’s shower would ebb faster if the curtain was drawn back made you move it, your eyes widening at the bloody mess that was marring the bottom of the white bathtub.

There was even a taloned bloody hand print on the tiled wall.

“ _Venom!_ ”

“SHIT.”

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	13. Pampering

Prompt #1 - A soft and wholesome prompt for you. Small Reader has a long day and comes home sore from their job, just flops on the couch n falls asleep. Wakes up to boyfriend² carrying them to bed, but couches aren't good for sleeping and they were already hurting before so they get a v gentle massage or whatever and then get to snuggle up with their big boys.

Prompt #2 - could you please do female reader for Venom/Eddie Brock who has a rough day during some college class and they want to pamper her? Please?

* * *

 

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Eddie often told you that all the hard work you were doing now would pay off in the future.

At the moment, you doubted him. A lot.

Burned out from juggling University classes, a part time job and the massive amounts of studying you had to fit in during what little spare time you had between all that and sleep, you were officially A Mess.

And it had been a hard day. Waitressing was not for the weak. Not at a family restaurant. But you were tired, and on your last nerve, and you really just wanted to scream at parents not to let their kids shriek unendingly or run around the restaurant like rabid weasels.

You’d damn near trampled a kid coming out of the kitchen. Had swerved just in time, but had dropped half of the food you’d been carrying onto yourself.

The little brat had laughed, and it had taken everything you had not to punt him across the room.

Now, filthy, covered in partially dried spaghetti sauce, with a ache between your shoulder blades and a sharp pain between your eyes, all you wanted was to get home and pass out. The hell with studying. You were done. Finito. Kaput.

Naturally, to end the day, the elevator was out.

Snarl.

Trudging up ten flights of stairs carrying your book-bag and a large Lasagna for you and Eddie - that your manager had given you as a reward for not killing children - was murder on your already sore feet. You cursed your entire way up the last three flights of stairs, huffing and puffing as you did so.

Never had your apartment door looked so good.

You croaked out a ‘hello?’ as you opened the door, sighing when only silence answered. Eddie must have either been off bashing bad guys as Venom or doing research for his next article.

Really, most normal people would have broken it off with him when he’d confided in you that he was host to an alien symbiote, and that he let it take control and moonlighted as Venom most nights. _The_ Venom. The one all the news channels and papers called the Demon of San Francisco.

But you weren’t normal. You’d merely blinked at him, then at Venom as it made an appearance, covering Eddie in inky blackness and towering over you with a smile that contained far too many fangs.

You’d told Venom the same thing you’d told Eddie. ‘You be nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. You hit me once, I leave forever’. (You’d had some bad relationships in the past.)

Unknown to Venom, he’d further ingratiated himself to you by offering to hunt down your past abusive boyfriend and kill him. Not that you’d ever take him up on the offer. But your father had said the same thing, and the realization that the two (three?) men in your life would run out to commit murder in retaliation for the abuse you’d suffered was kind of sweet.

Again, you weren’t normal.

Faced with the empty apartment, you felt free to simply drop your backpack onto the floor before kicking off your flats. One left a sauce stain on the wall as it bounced off of it onto the shoe mat, but you didn’t care, ignoring it as you shuffled into the kitchen and shoved the lasagna into the fridge. 

If Eddie wanted hot food, he could heat it up himself because you were done catering to anyone elses needs for the day. 

You took a moment to guzzle down some orange juice straight from the container - you usually gave Eddie shit for doing the same, but you were too tired to care anymore - before slamming the fridge closed and dragging your weary bones into the living room. 

There was the usual tiny pile of printed out papers next to a notebook and a laptop on the coffee table. Eddie had made do using the couch and table as his impromptu office, and you made sure to leave them alone, not wanting to mess up whatever file system he had going on.

Instead, you faceplanted yourself onto the couch, bouncing a little, the furniture giving a squeak in protest at your landing. You merely grumbled at it, then pulled a couch pillow under your cheek and let your eyes slide closed.

Maybe if you looked pitiful enough, you could convince Eddie or Venom to rub your shoulders when they got home.

* * *

 

You obviously lost consciousness, because it was dark in the apartment when the noise of the front door opening dragged you awake, the bright light from the hallway pulling a grunt from you as you slapped a hand over your eyes.

Eddie stood silhouetted in the doorway for a moment before the apartment was plunged into darkness again. You smelled Chinese Food, but you couldn’t muster up the energy to move. Merely listened to him toe off his boots and drop the large take out bag onto the kitchen counter before he walked over to you.

He was wise enough not to comment on either your day, or how bedraggled you looked, merely bent down to press a kiss to your cheek before he lifted you up into his arms. You leaned into him, resting your head against his shoulder as he carried you to the bedroom.

“Let us take care of you, okay?” he murmured to you as he gently set you down on the edge of the bed, pressing another kiss to your forehead as dark symbiote tendrils stretched out from his ‘shirt’ to start undoing the buttons to your blouse. 

You winced a little as Eddie flicked on the lamp on the nighttable, but were quickly distracted as his warm hands palmed your shoulders. He pushed the blouse off once it was loose, tugging the material off and tossing it in the direction of the laundry basket. You couldn’t even manage to muster up some snarky comment about him trying to get fresh with you as he undid the clasp of your bra and gently pulled it off of you.

But there was nothing sexual in his touches, just reassurance and care. He knelt to undo the buttons of your skirt, a symbiote tendril lashing around your waist and bodily lifting you so Eddie could tug them and your pantyhose down and off your legs, leaving you in just your underwear.

You mustered up what you hoped was a grateful smile as he stood, and he must have understood, because Eddie leaned in again and placed a gentle, loving, kiss to your lips.

“Where do you hurt, babe?”

Your lips quirked. “The list would be shorter if I mentioned what _didn’t_ hurt.”

He chuckled, shaking his head at you. “Some snark! You’re not as far gone as we thought. C’mon, lie down on your stomach. We’ll work those knots out of your shoulders.”

You shivered in pleasure at the thought of a massage and moved to lie down as he’d directed, tugging a pillow under your head as you got comfortable. Felt the bed dip as Eddie climbed over you, settling so he was straggling your thighs.

The first time you’d gotten a massage from Eddie and the symbiote, you’d thought it weird-feeling. Now, as his warm hands settled on your shoulders, the contrasting coolness of the symbiote spreading out from him and covering the rest of your back and legs, all you did was sigh in relief.

They worked in tandem. Eddie gently working the tension from your arms and shoulders while the symbiote undulated across your back and legs, the alien seeming to _know_ exactly where you hurt the most. It massaged your hips, calves and feet, all at the same time, chasing every ache and tender spot until you stopped flinching from the touches and just sighed in relief. 

Eddie‘s thumbs dug into the nape of your neck, pressing against some spot that suddenly twinged, then let go, and your headache was abruptly cut in half. You heard his pleased hum at how you relaxed as he slid his hands higher, into your hair, fingers massaging your scalp.

The symbiote stretched up your back, finishing Eddie’s wonderful work on your shoulders and neck, and you had the unique pleasure of feeling the alien’s touches turn from cool to warm, like a hot bath. Felt it move under you, slipping between your body and the sheets to wrap you up in it’s warmth, from your toes up to your shoulders.

“Better?”

His voice pulled you out of the semi-asleep state you’d fallen into. “Mmmmmm.”

Eddie laughed, making the bed bounce a little. “We’ll take that as a ‘yes’. You want to sleep some more or are you hungry?”

Your stomach, apparently restarted by the amazing massage and the lack of pain your body was in, chose that moment to growl. Loudly. You hid your now brilliantly blushing face in the pillow as Eddie chuckled again.

“Food it is.” You felt him get up from the bed, the symbiote stubbornly clinging to you as he rummaged in the closet. Eddie came back with one of his old tee shirts, and you hummed as you slowly sat up, stunned by the lack of pain. “Here, arms up.”

He slid the soft, oversized, shirt onto you, then scooped you into his arms again, carrying you out of the bedroom and back into the living-room, gently setting you onto the couch. 

The symbiote _still_ hadn’t let you go, continuing to keep you wrapped up in warmth, sticking to your skin, so it stretched out after Eddie as the man went to turn on the lights and retrieve the Chinese food along with some forks.

You quirked a brow and poked at the blackness on your arm, feeling it undulate against you, like a full body hug. “You okay there, hun?”

“Hm? Oh. Venom’s worried about you, that’s all,” Eddie explained as he joined you on the couch, nudging his laptop out of the way so he could start emptying the bag’s contents onto the coffee table. “It’s been a long time since you looked so exhausted. Neither of us like seeing you in pain.”

“I need a vacation. Or a million dollars. Or both.”

“We— wait. No, we are not robbing a bank!” The last was obviously directed to the symbiote, and you snickered. “Anyway, like I was about to say - we can cover next month’s rent so you can take some time off work. Your exams are coming up, right?”

Your shoulders slumped at the reminder, and you felt the symbiote give you a squeeze in reaction. “Yeah. There just aren’t enough hours in a day. Maybe I should just mainline espresso to my veins.”

“ _Or_ you can take some time off work,” Eddie chuckled. “We doubt your manager will protest too much. He knows you’re in University. And you’re a good employee.”

“I’ll have to check. Another waiter quit yesterday, he might be short-staffed.” A sigh left you. “I’m just tired.”

“You’re allowed. Egg roll?”

You blinked as the roll was offered to you, and, knowing Eddie’s intention, obediently took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. “I might be able to take some time off next week. A couple of days at least. It depends if I have to train the new waiter or waitress.”

“Your boss doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you,” Eddie murmured, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek before pushing a fork and container of chicken fried rice into your hands. “Here, eat up. Did you even eat today?”

“Sort of?” At the look he gave you, you caved. “No.”

“Stubborn.” The symbiote moved then, extending a tendril to poke Eddie in the side of the neck, and he blinked, eyes un-focusing a little as they always did when he was mentally talking to the alien. “Oh. Venom wants to see you, is that alright?”

You rolled your eyes at him and mimed poking him with your fork. “You know it is.”

“Just making sure,” Eddie chuckled, stealing a quick kiss. 

You felt the symbiote pull away from you, reforming around Eddie. Blackness rose to cover him, growing in size, and you watched, as always, enraptured by the change as Venom took control. Pale eyes instantly caught yours, a large taloned hand rising to palm your cheek, claws gentle against your skin despite the damage they could cause. 

“HELLO, OUR MORSEL,” Venom rumbled, gently brushing his thumb across your skin. Now that he’d formed around Eddie, he sent out tendrils to make contact with you again, spreading out across your shoulders and down your back, continuing to massage gently. “FEEL BETTER?”

“Immeasurably, thank you,” you smiled, hearing his happy purr as he leaned in, nuzzling at your neck and playfully nipping at your pulse. “No more hickeys, please. The last ones you left freaked out my boss. I had to wear a scarf.”

His chuckle vibrated into you, though he did pull away. “WE’LL BE MORE CAREFUL. WE’LL LEAVE OUR MARKS WHERE NO ONE BUT US CAN SEE.”

That was about as good as it would get. You made a show of rolling your eyes at him, and knew by his snicker that he was well aware that you wouldn’t protest. There was nothing Venom liked more than to leave marks on you - never breaking the skin or actually _hurting_ you - and you had a feeling it was some sort of claiming thing.

The bit of symbiote on your back undulated, and you blinked as you were offered another egg roll. Another thing Venom liked to do: feed you. Though you were certain that came from Eddie’s worries about you forgetting to eat all the time.

You took a bite, watching as the other half of the roll vanished behind Venom’s fangs. “Mm. Thanks.”

“ANYTHING FOR OUR MORSEL,” he purred, reaching out for a second container of rice, using his talons to scoop food into his mouth.

You shook your head at his atrocious table manners, but didn’t say anything as you dug into your own food. Now that you were relaxed, your stomach was basically screaming at you. You really shouldn’t have skipped lunch. Or breakfast.

Between you and Venom, the Chinese food didn’t last long. Afterwards, he gathered you into his arms again, nuzzling at you as he stretched out on his back across the entire couch and draped you on top of him. Once you’d gotten comfy, he wrapped you up in his arms and tendrils again, blackness sliding against your skin as the symbiote encased you in a full body hug again.

Feeling pampered and loved and amazingly safe, you curled your arms around Venom’s neck and snuggled into him, listening to his low, rumbling, purrs as he hugged you back and grazed his fangs against your cheek, licking at the skin there afterwards.

“Might fall asleep,” you warned him as he snatched up the TV remote and started channel surfing, probably for one of the nature shows he was enamored with.

“GOOD. YOU NEED TO REST.” One of Venom’s hands rose to your head, fingers running through your hair, talons barely scraping your scalp as he repeated the soothing motion. “SLEEP, LITTLE NIBBLE. WE’LL TAKE CARE OF YOU.”

Your lips curved in a smile as you pressed a kiss to his cheek, feeling his low purring vibrate into your body as he hugged you closer. “Love you.”

“AND WE LOVE YOU. ALWAYS.”

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	14. Guilt (Sequel to 'Aftermath')

Prompt - Do you think you could do a small drabble or something on Eddie and Venom's perspective after they realized the mistake they made from the fic where the reader held up that pharmacy and chased after her please? Maybe little angsty?

Snarky's Note - This should not have been so hard to get out of my brain as it was. I hope it’s alright. Writing this was like pulling teeth (which is kinda a pun to me cuz I just had a tooth pulled yesterday >.<  )  I’ve stared at this for over a day and I think this drabble is as done as it’s going to be. Sorry if it’s too short.

* * *

 

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It had been a horrible case of mistaken identity.

That was what Eddie kept telling himself. It stuck in his head, repeating, over and over again. The symbiote was oddly quiet as he paced the length of his apartment, hands laced behind his head, guilt eating at him.

The image of that woman lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to machines and blood and IV lines haunted him. They’d almost slaughtered her. And all over a bottle of antibiotics.

And _yes_ , alright. She’d held up the Pharmacy. But that didn’t give them the right to butcher her like they had. Venom had killed and maimed hundreds of people since they’d started patrolling the City at night. Had they hurt others that didn’t deserve the symbiote’s particular brand of ‘justice’?

[ _Eddie_.]

The symbiote undulated across his shoulders, but Eddie ignored it as he did another circle of his living room. Maybe tracking her down had been a bad idea. There was no way he could ever make up for what Venom had put her through. The fear in her eyes, how she’d stood there, balancing on crutches with a broken arm and leg, trying to be brave, but scared to the point that the symbiote could smell her terror–

[ _Eddie!_ ]

He jerked at the yell in his mind. “What?!”

[ _We’ll be more careful in the future. Never met a thief with good intentions before._ ]

“Fat lot of good that does _now_. We almost killed her.”

[ _She did shoot that woman._ ]

Eddie shook his head, running the scenario through his mind for the thousandth time. “I don’t think she meant to. That gun looked like a piece of crap. Might have misfired.”

[ _She shot **us**_.]

“You snapped her arm like a toothpick. I’d have shot you too.”

[ _Well that’s rude._ ] There was a moment of silence from the presence in his brain, and Eddie felt it filter thought his thoughts, like a cold shiver, before the symbiote spoke again. [ _No point in wallowing in misery. We’ll fix it._ ]

Eddie’s voice left him in a pained rasp. “ _How?_ No matter what we do, we can’t undo what we did. We almost _killed_ her.” Christ, maybe the newspapers were right. Maybe he was a monster, and he was just realizing it now.

[ _Enough,_ ] the symbiote snarled in his thoughts, tightening around him like a vise until he was unable to move. [ _You humans and your guilt. It happened, there’s no undoing it. Wallowing in the past does nothing except make us **weak**. She said you could help her with ‘shopping’, right? Then start by doing that._ _And then tonight, we’ll hunt down those drug pushers and find their hideout. We’ll use that money to pay that ‘bill’ she mentioned._ ]

He gave a token struggle against his own frozen body, hating how the alien could turn his own flesh against him. “Then what, Mr. Know It All?”

[ _You’re the human. Figure it out. We can’t think of everything._ ]

Suddenly in control of his body again, Eddie stumbled forward a step before catching himself. Blunt though it may be, the symbiote had a point. Neither of them could change the past. They’d just have to learn from it and be _much more_ careful in the future. 

He sighed, then gave the alien a mental poke. “You remember where she lives?”

There was the distinct sensation of the symbiote doing the mental equivalent of rolling it’s eyes at him. [ _Of course._ ]

“Good. ‘Cuz we’re late.”

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	15. Soothing the Demon

Prompt - I have a prompt! Venom getting soothed by reader’s singing? I’m a sucker for monsters that just... melt and become at ease by their loved one’s voice. Please take all the time you need on it, or if you’d rather not do it, that’s ok!

* * *

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You’d been in the midst of reading a book when your world had tilted.

Blinking, you looked up at Venom, quirking an eyebrow at him. He’d grabbed the back of the armchair and tilted the entire thing backwards, the heavy piece of furniture now balancing precariously on it’s two rear legs. “Hi?”

Those unearthly pale eyes glanced from you to the book and back again. “BUSY?”

The tight, barely repressed, anger in his voice made you frown. “Not anymore. What’s wrong?”

His hands tightened on the chair, talons sinking into the upholstery. “BAD NIGHT. LOST OUR PREY. _HATE_ LOSING OUR PREY.” A low snarl left him as he gently righted the chair, pulling his claws from the fabric before he circled you, his attention never wavering from your face.

In another time, you might have been afraid of the unblinking, predatory, stare. But you’d been around Venom - and Eddie - long enough to know that you were perfectly safe. If not perhaps a little unnerved. “Venom?”

He hissed, rolling his shoulders, then lowered himself onto his knees in front of you, reaching out to curl his arms around your waist. “DO THAT THING WE LIKE?”

A smile tugged at your lips as you slid your palms across his shoulders, then the nape of his neck when he lay his head in your lap, nuzzling into your stomach. Slowly, keeping your voice gentle, you started to sing. Nothing grand, nothing loud, just a soft, gentle melody.

It had happened completely by accident. You’d been singing while doing the dishes one evening, and Venom had snuck up on you, drawn by your voice. He’d wrapped you up in his arms from behind, then propped his chin on the top of your head, and just listened.

He’d nuzzled into you when you’d finished, purring that, unearthly, rumble that vibrated your bones, and begged for another song.

Music did indeed sooth the savage beast. Or at the very least, _your_ singing soothed _Venom_. Well, Venom and Eddie, because you knew he was in there somewhere.

Slowly, the tension leeched out of the massive form in front of you, a great, heaving, sigh leaving Venom as he relaxed against you. Little tendrils extended from the ‘skin’ on his back, curling around your hands and wrists as you lightly massaged him, a slight warble of amusement affecting your singing when he purred and hugged you tighter, nearly pulling you off the chair.

When the first song ended, you paused for a moment. At a nudge, you laughed softly, then chose another melody, something closer to a lullaby. He gave your stomach another nuzzle, the hem of your tee shirt rising a little, and you damn near yelped when he licked at the bit of bared skin.

You gently whapped him on the shoulder in retaliation, rolling your eyes when he chuckled, deep voice rumbling like thunder. It was such a change from the rage that he’d shown before that you smiled as you finished, holding the last note for as long as you could before letting your voice fade.

Silence fell over the apartment, and you blinked, looking down at Venom. You’d expected him to ask for another song, but he merely leaned heavily against your legs, head in your lap, breathing deeply.

Realized, mutely, that he’d fallen asleep.

You sighed, shaking your head. Luckily, it was easy to gently extricate your hands from the now lax tendrils curled around your fingers and wrists, which allowed you to reached for the book you’d wedged between your leg and the chair’s arm, finding your spot again.

You’d let him sleep for as long as you could. Knew that he needed the rest; between his nightly patrols and Eddie’s daytime life as a reporter, the duo got a pitiful amount of rest.

They deserved a bit of downtime, even if it was putting your left foot to sleep.

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	16. Hide & Seek (NSFW)

Prompt - Eddie/Venom playing hide-and-seek with fem reader but venom kinda goes full-predator and wins, demanding a prize (whatever you want; a shit-ton of chocolate or something else).

This’ll be fun >:D

NSFW! Yay! Smut ahoy! (It’s the first time I’ve let anyone read the smut that I’ve written, sooooo *runs and hides*)

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You were being hunted.

Your breath came in rapid gasps as you bolted across a small clearing in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the light from the moon helping you spot an unkept trail that led into the the forest you were approaching.

The knowledge that your pursuer outmatched you in almost every way made something in your stomach go cold, adrenaline helping you to pour on the speed as you launched yourself into the dubious cover of the treeline. Thick, knee-high ferns brushing against your jeans as you waded through them, trying, desperately, to stay as quiet as you could.

Your heartbeat was loud in your ears as you struggled to keep your breathing quiet - you didn’t want to draw any attention to yourself. Couldn’t see where you were stepping, so you were careful, feeling out the ground before putting down your full weight. It wouldn’t do to betray your location with a snapping of a fallen branch.

Managed to get far enough into the trees that you were safely out of sight of the clearing when a loud, echoing, laugh broke the tension, rising above the slight rustle of leaves from the breeze and silencing the various insect noises.

“MOOOORSEL! WE KNOW YOU’RE HERE!”

 Venom’s voice made you crouch a little, taking cover in the underbrush. The predatory tinge in his voice was replaced with excitement and a hunger that made you shiver. “WE’LL FIND YOU, NIBBLE!”

The laugh that followed made you roll your eyes as you moved deeper into the shadowed forest, taking a diagonal route and weaving through the trees.

It had been his idea, something that had raised your eye brows in surprise and disbelief. Obviously, it was some predatory thing that you didn’t quite understand. It had taken a little convincing on his part before you’d agreed, making sure to lay down some rules to keep things fair - you were only human, after all.

No web-slinging, no using the trees, and absolutely _no camouflage_.

You weren’t entirely sure of the range of Venom’s alien senses, but you hoped that the rules would at least help you last longer than a few minutes. At least he’d been kind enough to give you a ten minute head start.

His prize, well, you were still debating that. Chocolate was always a go to with him, but he’d always hinted that he’d love to take you under the stars.

Still, you weren’t planning on being easy prey.

You couldn’t leave the Park, that was one of the rules pertaining to you. Nor could you take shelter in any of the buildings. But the more ‘natural’ areas of the Park were rife with plenty of hiding spaces. You were at the far East end of the Park, in the Woodlands. The Oak trees around you cast odd shadows, like reaching hands, the creepiness making things seem all the more eerie. Your hope was to make it to Stow Lake and hide there.

Ignoring the pathways and trails was risky, but you knew that Venom would be prowling them, sticking to the shadows or possibly disabling the lights along the paths to give him an edge. So you stayed in the green spaces, slinking between trees and bushes, glad of the bright moonlight that lit your way.

You’d actually debated jumping into the lake and swimming to one of the small islands that weren’t connected by bridges, but the ripples in the water, the fact that you’d be trapping yourself, had nixed that idea as fast as it had popped up.

There was a crashing sound as you exited the Woodlands and entered the more pristine Park, and you crouched as you sidled behind a large lilac bush, peering through it’s branches. When Venom didn’t immediately leap out at you, you took a fortifying breath, then kept going.

Every noise set you on edge, and you hurried as much as you were able, slinking through the more ornamental bushes, staying close to any trees so you’d have something to hide behind in a pinch.

By the time you made it to the Lake you were tired and looking for a place to hide. Venom had yelled out a few more taunts, his voice getting closer and closer with every one, and while a tiny part of you wanted to shout back, you knew that would give you away.

So you stayed silent as you stepped onto a path, glancing both ways before darting across it. Deeper, near the un-landscaped edge of the water, were huge, tall trees.

The rules stated that _Venom_ couldn’t climb trees. There was nothing stopping _you_ from doing so.

Grunting under your breath, you clamored up a massive Maple, biting your lower lip to stifle a yelp when your feet slipped on the bark, almost sending you crashing to the ground. But you caught yourself, barely, muscles in your arms burning as you pulled yourself up onto a sturdy branch, taking a breather before heading higher.

Once you’d wedged yourself in a Y between the trunk and a large branch,hidden both by the shadows, branches, and the thick leaf growth, you finally allowed yourself to relax, breath leaving you in a silent sigh. 

“WE KNOW YOU’RE CLOSE, LITTLE NIBBLE!”

You tensed, but stayed silent, pressing your back tight to the trunk of the tree. Heard movement nearby, and spied Venom on the nearby bridge. His pale ‘eyes’ almost glowed in the moonlight, making him look truly alien as he cast his gaze up and down the water. You froze when his attention darted over the tree you were hiding in, not even daring to breathe, until he growled and continued over the bridge, onto Strawberry Hill.

Okay. Okay. You were safe for the moment.

You debated climbing down and heading away from the Lake to put more distance between you and your pursuer but hesitated. Despite the adrenaline and the uneasy feeling of behind hunted, you did, eventually, _want_ Venom to catch you. For one, it would make him unendingly happy, for another, you did expect to have a little _fun_ that night.

There was also another issue that came to light as you looked down, however.

You’d gotten _up_ the tree. You weren’t sure you could get _down._

Well then, guess you were staying put.

Sighing, you leaned back against the tree trunk, casting your gaze up at the moon that was partially visible through the leaves and branches, closing your eyes as you listened to the rustle as a breeze went through the forest.

Movement back at the bridge drew your attention again, smirking when you spied Venom again. Apparently he’d finished his search of the island - faster than you’d thought, too. His gaze cut across the banks of the water, eyes narrowing suspiciously, before his voice cut through the silence. 

“MOOOORSEL,” his voice gained a predatory tinge. “WE KNOW YOU’RE HERE SOMEWHERE, MORSEL.” 

You swallowed thickly as he left the path, heard Venom push his way through the bushes and undergrowth as he started to prowl along the bank of the water. Your only saving grace was that he was on the wrong side. 

Even in the dimness of the night, you could see the tendrils that wove in the air around him as he methodically searched along the bank, the symbiote’s ‘skin’ reflecting the moonlight a little.

You thought yourself safe, you really did, until suddenly, his head snapped up and he stared right at the tree you were in. Saw his fangs bare themselves in a grin as he backed into the undergrowth, vanishing into the darkness.

Getting a bad feeling, you started to try to get out of the tree you were technically trapped in, eyes widening when Venom reappeared at the edge of the opposite bank as he ended his running start and launched himself into the air. 

He effortlessly cleared the water, the height of his leap sending him crashing through the branches of your tree. He landed on the trunk high above you, feet first, sticking there on hands and feet, talons digging into the bark, and chuckled deeply as he met your stunned gaze.

“HELLO, NIBBLE!”

You gulped a little and tried to shift your grip on a branch, yelping when your foot slipped off. By some miracle, you missed more branches on the way down, fully expecting to crash into the water, only to have a large hand clamp around your left ankle and stop your fall.

You dangled there, fingertips inches away from the surface of the water, then looked up to Venom. “I hate trees.”

Another chuckle left him. “YOU GOT STUCK, DIDN’T YOU?”

You avoided his gaze. “…..yes.”

He laughed, then pulled you up as if you weighted nothing, and you let out a breath of relief when he immediately hugged you to his chest. Safe from falling, you curled your arms around his neck as he licked at your cheek, grazing his fangs against your lips. 

“SO, NOW THAT WE’VE CAUGHT YOU….” Venom tugged at your jacket a little, unzipping it and growling when he saw that you hadn’t worn anything under it. “NAUGHTY, MORSEL.”

“Learned from you,” you teased, shivering when nuzzled at your throat, nipping at your pulse before using his tongue to sooth the sharp sensation of his fangs. “You want to do this in a tree? Really?”

He paused, taking note of your uncomfortable expression as you sent a wary glance at the drop to the ground. “HM. GOOD POINT.” It took only seconds for him to gather you into his arms and jump to the ground, and as soon as he was standing amongst the ferns, you found yourself pushed up against the tree’s trunk.

“STILL OKAY WITH THIS?” Venom asked, gently, sliding a hand into your open jacket to palm your left breast, thumb teasing your nipple. You answered by gripping his shoulders, and hopping up to wrap your legs around his waist. Rolling your pelvis to his, elicited a low, drawn out, moan.

“That answer your question?” you smirked, pressing a kiss to his fangs and rolling your eyes when he used his talons to tear your jeans apart, the cool air that hit you making you shiver. The low growl that left him when he realized that you hadn’t bothered with underwear either made you grin.

Tendrils lashed out from him to wrap around your waist, legs and arms, supporting you and sliding against your skin as Venom lowered a hand to your core, a careful digit - now bereft of a talon - gently working at your clit. You gasped and threw your head back, shuddering, and he took advantage, nuzzling at your neck again, nipping and licking, and you knew that he was leaving marks, but you didn’t care.

His hand shifted between your legs, and you rolled your hips in invitation as he placed his thumb on your clit, then slid two fingers deep into you, thrusting slowly and brushing against your g-spot. You really shouldn’t have given Venom such an education about your body, because there was nothing more he liked than to bring you to orgasm, over and over again.

Felt him grind himself against you, cock out and hard, and you groaned, panting as the coil in your belly tightened. Couldn’t stop a cry from leaving you when he sent out more tendrils to coil around your breasts, teasing your nipples, a low purr rumbling out of him and into you when you bucked against him.

You mewled in loss when he pulled his hand away from you, eyes widening as you watched him lick your wetness from his fingers, the near-constant rumble that was leaving him ratcheting up a notch.

“WHEN WE GET BACK TO THE NEST, WE’LL TASTE YOU PROPERLY,” he growled as he grasped your hip with one hand and lined himself up with the other, the head of him nudging against you. He rubbed himself against you, watching you as you writhed, your hands clutching at him, trying to pull him closer

“V-Venom, dammit, quit _teasing!_ ” 

Luckily for you, he wasn’t known for his patience.

Your begging was enough for him to push forward, and you groaned as you felt yourself stretch to accommodate him, hearing his own drawn-out snarl as he hilted himself inside you.

“H-HRN! SO GOOD, OUR MORSEL,” he growled, one hand rising to cup your chin before kissed you hungrily, the tip of his tongue invading your mouth. You wiggled a little, trying to start a rhythm, moaning when his chuckle vibrated into you as he pulled out, then thrust back in.

As always, his rhythm was fast and hard, and you could only hold on, glad for your jacket protecting your back as he fucked you against the tree. That coil in your belly kept tightening, and you mewled, tilting your head back, panting for breath. Venom let you, dropping his face to your throat, growling, scratching you with his fangs, one tendril extending from the base of his cock to rub against your clit.

“ _Fuck!_ ” Your orgasm hit you, hard, and you dimly heard his own snarl as you spasmed, legs tightening around his waist, toes curling.

He fucked you through your climax, that goddamn tendril still wiggling at your clit, and you could only whine when he bit at your shoulder, one of his hands tilting your hip a bit, and the new angle had you seeing stars.

Heard him _snarl_ your name as he came, heat flooding you, and you cried out as the sensation and his final few desperate thrusts shoved you off the precipice again.

After, with little aftershocks making the two of you quiver from time to time, you slid your hands across his back, leaning into press a loving kiss to his cheek. 

Huffing, hot breath almost visible in the cool night air, Venom turned his head to nuzzle at you, licking at the sweat on your skin, his free hand palming your ribs before sliding to splay across your back.

Sex in the Park. There was a first time for everything.

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	17. Reality Interrupted

Prompt - Prompt: Reader has a shitty relationship with reality. Weird crap happens to them and things that shouldn’t happen do. Sometimes they will go missing out of the blue do it it and just show up a couple weeks later. They usually carry around a recorder with them so they can show people they aren’t insane but they forget it and go missing for a bit before coming back. Eddie/Venom FREAK the fuck out.

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Your life was weird. Which was to say, you and reality had apparently met and broken up with no chance at reconciliation.

It had started when you were eight. Now, keep in mind, you’d been born in the eighties, so it was high weirdness to suddenly be in possession of a computer the size of your hand.

You’d been playing when something had just _popped_ out of nowhere, bouncing off your head before clattering to the ground. A little dazed, you’d picked it up and discovered that it was something called an iPhone 8. You’d played with it for hours before it had simply vanished out of your hands, leaving an odd chill and a very baffled you behind.

Things had only gotten more complicated from there.

More things appeared and vanished around you, sometimes little things, like keys or books, sometimes big things, like your parent’s minivan.

When you were twelve, you’d vanished from school. Literally. Your parents had gone insane. Search parties were sent out, Amber Alert’s announced, police canvased the entire neighbourhood. When you’d reappeared a week later, your parents had ignored your tale of meeting Robin Hood and grounded you for running away and making up stories.

Your childhood and adolescence was peppered with disappearances, your parents believing that you were a liar and a runaway, and you had suffered through numerous trips to various hospitals because of the ‘tales’ you told.

You’d started bringing a tape recorder with you to film your adventures when you were fourteen. Over time, you upgraded to camcorder, then your smartphone, and finally a hidden camera that you could bring wherever you ended up. You had images and videos saved that surpassed any CG movie out there.

It was odd, you realized, that when you ‘popped’ into new worlds, that no one there thought twice of your sudden appearance. You just blended in with whatever timeline or universe you’d slid into, as if you were _supposed_ to be there in the first place. You’d seen dinosaurs, broke bread with dragon-slayers, saved dragons _from_ dragon-slayers, visited far off worlds and even alternate universes just a smidgen different from your own.

It continued on until you were old enough to move out. Sure, you still vanished from time to time, visiting odd and strange places, but it was fun for you. New experiences and new adventures. The hell with your doubting parents. This was your life and you embraced it.

You’d been chased by a feathered T-Rex, nearly gotten run over by a horse drawn carriage that belonged to Sherlock Holmes - the older one not the hot one - shared mead with Hobbits, gunned down zombies, met aliens - not the probing kind - gotten bitten by a chupacabra, encountered a rather irritated Dalek that had also popped out of his universe, hell, you’d even met Captian Picard of the USS Enterprise!

Things became more complicated when you started dating. You’d originally sworn off dating because of the trouble presented when you slipped out of your universe, but Eddie Brock had been sweet and handsome and with a sparkling wit and down to earth charm that had made turning him down impossible.

You imagined he’d expected you to freak out when, a month into dating, he’d confided in you that he was bonded to an alien symbiote and that he moonlighted as Venom most nights.

You’d seen a lot of weird shit by then, so you’d merely shrugged, shaken Venom’s hand and asked him what he preferred white or dark chocolate cake. 

When Eddie had moved in, things got decidedly complicated. You managed to explain your disappearances by saying it was work related, that you had to run off at any time to catch a plane or a train. Thanks to being a veteran of falling out of your dimension into another, you could usually ‘feel’ a slip before it happened.

He’d accepted it with grace - after all, he was _Venom_. He thought he knew strange.

You were waffling over whether to tell him what was really going on. Had practiced the conversation. Were even willing to let him see what was in the mystically locked chest at the foot of your bed.

It was filled with keepsakes from your journeys: A sword made of enchanted glass from Skyrim, a computer pad you’d stolen from the Enterprise, bits of shells from a dinosaur egg, the Hope Diamond, a Venom comic-book - that was going to take some explanation - an ‘Arum’ from the Elite home world from the Halo universe, a pile of gems and coins from Smaug himself - you’d popped out of that world before getting charbroiled - a feather as long as your arm from a Roc, a working phaser, three seashells, several sets of armor and ancient clothing, a Lightsaber you’d stolen from one baffled Anakin Skywalker before he’d gone batty, and an emerald the size of your fist - you hoped Sonic had made due without it.

You’d actually been trying to work up the nerve to talk to Eddie after a date, on the walk home, when you’d literally popped out of existence.

Shit.

You reappeared in the middle of a fight between a rag tag group of people and something called a ‘dracolich’. Which was a fancy word for ‘skeleton dragon’.

By then, you were rather used to appearing in the middle of a crisis, so you’d taken up a sword and joined the fight. By the time the undead dragon was properly dead - thanks to one of the group that had turned out to be a necromancer - you’d pretty much ingratiated yourself to the group, and no one questioned where you’d appeared from.

You spent a month with them, fulfilling quests, getting drunk at taverns, and being rewarded by kings and peasants both. You had enough gold coins to pay for your apartment for the next fifty years. Your new friends, the necromancer, a draconian, an archer and a sorceress made you the honorary ‘knight’ of the group, even chipping in to buy you a set of armor tailored to you. 

It was while your friends were at a brothel - you may have been in a different universe but you _did_ have a boyfriend back home, hence the ‘no brothel’ rule for you - that things went sideways again. You popped, appearing in the middle of a conference at the UN where there were lizards instead of people, waved, then popped again, reappearing in San Francisco.

This wouldn’t have been such a bad thing had you not been decked out in full armor, armed with numerous knives and a broadsword. The fact that you’d appeared in the middle of a wedding just made things more complicated.

You managed to weave a spiel about trying out your ‘costume’ for the next Comic Con before making a run for it.

Hoping that Eddie was still around somewhere, you trudged home, incurring various stunned looks as you went. Ignored them with long practice, even when you got on the elevator and had to ride to the top floor next to a women with two children.

Lacking a key, you merely kicked your front door in, freezing in the doorway when you spotted a very confused Eddie on your couch. He was obviously in the middle of working on a new article - papers and notebooks were scattered around him haphazardly.

“Um…. hi?” You even wiggled your fingers at him in a little wave, armor glinting in the light from the windows.

Everything went flying - laptop included, ouch - when he realized who you were. He crossed the apartment in a run before wrapping you up in a crushing embrace.

“You’re _alive!_ ”

The stark relief in his voice made you wither a little, and you lamely stayed silent, blinking up at him when he pushed you back and held you at arms length.

“Where have you _been?!_ We searched the entire _City_ for you! Twice! Thought you’d been kidnapped or _worse–_ ”

You rose a hand to place your fingers against his mouth when his voice cracked, the tears in his eyes making a pit open up in your stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have told you. This just…. happens, sometimes. Well, a lot of the time. I can’t control it. Usually I can feel it before it happens, but this time I didn’t have any warning and–”

“This has happened _before?”  
_

You winced a little and pulled away, walking past him and into the apartment. Waited until he’d closed the door before speaking again. “Weird things have been happening to me since I was eight. Things would pop in and out of existence around me, things that we’re from my time or our world. They’d always vanish again eventually…. When I was twelve I vanished for a week, met Robin Hood, he taught me how to shoot a bow–” 

The look of disbelief on Eddie’s face made you growl. “See that? That right there. _That’s_ why I don’t tell people. My parents had me admitted to psych wards because I trusted them. You know what electro-shock therapy is? It ain’t fun! But this shit happens to me, all the time. And you, _Venom_ , are not the poster child for normality, so quit lookin’ at me like that!”

He winced at bit at that, then sighed and walked over to you. “Okay. Okay, we’re sorry, this just sounds….”

“Insane. I’m aware. I’m also aware that since aliens exist and that there are mutants running around and a guy in New York called ‘Spider-Man’, that this isn’t the weirdest thing in this reality.”

“Point.”

“Damn right ‘point’,” you muttered angrily, huffing as you headed for your bedroom. “There’s also the fact that I’m not stupid enough to say these things without some goddamn proof. So, c’mere.”

Grumbling a little, you stomped over to the locked chest at the foot of your bed, shoving clothes off of it before raising your thumb to your mouth and biting into the meat of it. Eddie made a noise of complaint at the sight, and you rolled your eyes at him. 

“Needs blood given without duress to open,” you explained as you pressed your thumb to the lock, grinning at his look of shock when the combination lock spun crazily, five numbers clicking into place before the three heavy latches popped open. “Got this thing from a wizard when I turned twenty. Best security I ever invested in.”

The flabbergasted look on Eddie’s face was almost worth it when you started pulling things out and laying them on the bed, explaining what each and every one of them were and where you’d gotten them from. His eyes got bigger and bigger with every keepsake you pulled out, right up until you pulled out the Venom comic and thrust it into his face. 

“Bet you were wondering why I was so chill when you told me about the symbiote, huh? _I already knew about it_.”

“This can’t be real,” left him in a whisper as he took the comic and flipped through it. The symbiote that was masquerading as his shirt visibly undulated, a tendril extending to poke at the comic, as if to make sure it wasn’t a hallucination.

“Oh, it is real buster. There’s a reality where practically every weird ass thing in this world is just a bunch of stories. Spider-Man, Magneto, Wolverine, fuck, the entire X-Men School - comic-books. Every single one. There’s a universe where _Batman_ is real, another where the galaxy nearly got it’s metaphorical balls handed to it by monstrosities called ‘Reapers’, another where crab-people try to overthrow governments. Trust me, I have seen some weird shit.“

“You never told _anyone_?”

“The people I did tell had me committed,” you reminded him. “I learned to keep this kinda shit to myself. I _wanted_ to tell you. I did. But…. Well, the amount of people who have flipped out on me and left is kinda a hundred percent. I have _videos_ , and they still didn’t believe me.”

Eddie shook his head a little, still looking stunned. “We believe you. It’s impossible not to. We’re holding the story of our own history in our hands.”

“Sorry about that. Kinda had to go for the shock value.” You paused, hesitant. “You really believe me?”

The wary hope in your voice made him walk over to you and wrap you up in a hug, leaning his forehead against yours. “You’re very convincing.”

“And the symbiote?”

“ _Glad to have our morsel back_.” Eddie blinked a little, then cleared his throat as the symbiote released control of his voice. “We’re relieved you’re alright. We _mourned_ you. We’ve spent the past month trying to find you.”

“This’ll happen again,” you warned him softly. “I can’t control it. I wish I could, but I can’t. And I don’t have control about how long I stay away. Could be a week, could be a month….”

“But you’ll come back? Eventually?”

“Always do.”

“Promise to come home to us?”

You smiled. “Hun, if you can put up with the insanity that is my life, you’re practically stuck with me.”

“Good,” he murmured before kissing you, and you shivered happily as you kissed him back. “Now, show us how that Lightsaber works.”

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	18. Keepings Things in Check

Prompt - never suggested a prompt before... *sweats* But uhh promt idea with Venom/Eddie with an ADD reader, who like is to either trying to finish an important paper or like is missing steps while cooking or something just over all having a really bad day with it? Maybe even unintentionally ignoring them heh...

Okay, so, my research has told me that ADD and ADHD are considered to be part of the same ‘branch’ of ADHD. “ _ **ADD** , or attention deficit disorder, is a type of **ADHD**. Depending on symptoms, three types of **ADHD** have been identified: Predominantly Inattentive Type **ADHD** is also sometimes called attention deficit disorder ( **ADD** ). ([ https://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd/10-key-questions-about-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/what-is-adhd.aspx](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fadhd%2F10-key-questions-about-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd%2Fwhat-is-adhd.aspx&t=ZjA0YWJkNjUyYWZiNGYyZmFkYjEyZmY2ODJiMTkxZjEwZWRmYWEwOCxaYVZCd3Btcw%3D%3D&b=t%3AcB5uiv1hnaB2y-hra-ioeQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Fsnarky-badger.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F178201782159%2Fnever-suggested-a-prompt-before-sweats-but&m=1) )”  _So I hope I got this right, anon.

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You’d always been a little different. From early childhood, you’d had problems focusing, problems keeping your attention from flitting around like a butterfly. Your thoughts were always racing, always going at a speed that made everything around you seem so slow, making it almost impossible to focus on things. You tried, Lord knows you tried, but even while ‘buckling down’ and working on one thing, your mind would be flitting on to another.

When you’d been in grade school, you’d just been told you were being lazy and that you should put some actual thought into what you were doing. That all you needed was to stop screwing around. You’d forget things and get yelled at, you’d make mistakes - even simple ones - and were told to study harder.

It was only when you hit your twenties and got to a new doctor that you’d been diagnosed with ADHD. Reading up on your new diagnosis had checked off so many buttons, so many things that you’d been told were your fault, that really _weren’t_ , that it was a relief.

Now, with the help of a licensed behavioral therapist and some proper medication, you were beginning to get a real a handle on your ADHD. Things finally seemed to make _sense_. You weren’t stupid or lazy, you were just _different._

You learned how to manage your diagnosis, retaught yourself how to deal with things like your self-esteem - damaged from school, teachers and your parents - how to shut your brain off so you could sleep at night, and how to properly focus on difficult or complex tasks.

Of all things, your smartphone was a huge help. You kept lists on it, things to do, things to buy. Used the scheduling function to help you properly divide your time and remind yourself to eat or take breaks if you were deep in a project.

You’d met Eddie Brock by accident, in the bakery isle at the grocery store. He’d been in the process of emptying out the entire stock of chocolate chips, and you, who had a passion for baking, had jokingly asked if he could spare a bag of them if you promised to give him a dozen cookies in return.

He’d laughed, and after a bit of nonsense chatting about the weather and the store’s lack of chocolate, had asked you out to dinner.

You’d immediately put it into your phone to keep from forgetting, adding a reminder for an hour ahead of time so you’d have plenty of time to get ready. When he’d quirked an eyebrow at you curiously, you’d shrugged and boldly stated that you sometimes got carried away with things and lost track of time.

He hadn’t even blinked. Yay, you’d found someone kind.

Dinner had been a blast, and so had the numerous dates that followed. Three months into the courtship, you’d confided in him about your childhood and your more recent diagnosis, and he’d thrown you for a loop by telling you about the alien symbiote he was bonded to.

You hadn’t been prepared for _that_. Though you’d done an admirable job of not running for the hills upon meeting Venom for the first time. You’d merely stared up at him, head tilted back a little to meet that pale gaze, mentally trying not to focus on all those fangs. He’d merely called you a ‘delectable little morsel’, then politely asked if you had any leftover chocolate chip cookies.

Okay then.

Now, it was common place for Eddie to come over and spend the nights, and he didn’t even bat an eye at the lists and large calendar that covered the fridge, everything that you needed to remember neatly written out. Even Eddie had adopted some of your habits, and he admitted that they were helpful in keeping things straight when he was busy with his journalism.

It was during one lazy afternoon, where Eddie was hard at work on an article while taking up the couch that you decided to reward his hard work with a fresh batch of cookies. But nerves had you hesitating.

Your day so far had been a glorified mess. You’d forgotten your phone, and your trip to the grocery store had left you without the list you needed to remember what you required. You’d compulsively bought a bunch of stuff you didn’t really need as a result. And, without your phone, you’d forgotten about an appointment with your counselor.

So, despite your good intentions to make Eddie some cookies, your anxiety was spiking, worry that you’d mess something up or forget something important making your thoughts whirl.

But, you remembered your therapist’s suggestions, taking a few moments to calm yourself before you went to task.

Following the recipe was easy when you prepared things ahead of time. Focusing on setting everything out and pre-measuring things helped reassure you, it was something familiar that you’d practiced many times. It helped you to stay on track while baking if you didn’t have to run around the kitchen looking for ingredients.

Once everything was set out, you pulled out a large bowl, then methodically followed the instructions on the recipe, each pre-portioned ingredient ready and waiting for when you needed it. It made making the batter a cinch, though the sound of Eddie’s typing on his laptop was a distraction that kept drawing your attention. 

After putting the batter on a cookie sheet, you made certain to set a timer on both your phone and the oven, silencing that little voice in your brain that constantly worried that you’d forget.

That done, you went to grab the newspaper and take over the arm chair, knowing better than to bother Eddie while he was ‘in the zone’. He tended to hyper-focus on writing when working on an article, and you didn’t want to derail his thoughts. 

You fidgeted a little as you tried to get into the newspaper articles, and recognized the nervous energy for what it was, closing your eyes as you did some meditation to help calm your thoughts. It would help more to visit the small gym in your building’s basement, to work the energy out, but you didn’t want to insult Eddie by vanishing.

Worry had you checking your phone again, and you double-checked the timer, finding solace in the fact that it was easily accessible to you.

Eddie groaned then, raising his arms above his head, stretching as he leaned away from his laptop. “Mm, thanks for baking cookies for us, babe.”

You smirked at him. “I’m amazed you noticed,” you teased gently.

He stuck his tongue out at you, then chuckled. “I should do like you. Set a timer to remind myself to take a break now and again.”

“I’m amazed the symbiote didn’t start bugging you as soon as I pulled out the chocolate chips.”

“Who said it didn’t?” he grinned, idly swiping at the dark tendril that extended from his shoulder to poke him in the forehead. “Quit it!”

A laugh bubbled out of you, and you checked your phone again. “Three more minutes.”

“Three minutes, huh? Plenty of time.” Smiling, Eddie rose from the couch and walked over to you, leaning down, bracing his hands on the arms of the chair, as he kissed you lovingly. The growl that rumbled out of him wasn’t human, and you blinked as fangs nipped at your lower lip.

You were used to Venom taking over at various times, and as you pulled away to look up at him, you marveled that you really had gotten used to a rather odd way of life. “Hi.”

A low, rumbling, murring, noise left Venom as he dropped into a crouch to be closer to your eye level, fangs bared in a grin. “HELLO, MORSEL. YOU MADE US COOKIES?”

“Thought you and Eddie deserved a treat,” you smiled, leaning your cheek into his palm when he rose a large hand to cup your face. 

“SET YOUR TIMERS?” The symbiote had readily taken up helping you remember and organize things once you had explained the reasoning behind your actions. 

“Yeah.”

He eyed you curiously, pale eyes narrowing a little. “WHAT’S WRONG?”

“Nothing. Really.” You sighed when he huffed, unconvinced. “I forgot about an appointment with my counselor today, that’s all. It’s bugging me.”

“NOTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT NOW, MORSEL,” Venom told you, gently, leaning in to lick at your cheek. “KNOW IT’S HARD FOR YOU, BUT TRY NOT TO WORRY. YOUR DOCTOR WILL UNDERSTAND. IF NOT, WE’LL GO HAVE A CHAT WITH HER.”

The idea of Venom ‘chatting’ with your counselor was something out of a nightmare. “Yeah, no. Thanks for the offer though. I should call and apologize though.”

“PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA.”

You fidgeted a little. “….think she’ll be mad?”

“SHH. YOU KNOW SHE WON’T BE.” 

Your phone vibrated then, and an answering peel came from the oven. “Cookies are— huh.”

You’d never seen Venom move that fast. Even before the timer had finished, he was up and across the apartment, tendrils using the oven mitts to pull the cookie sheet out of the oven. Before you’d even risen from the chair, a dozen cookies had vanished. “Hey! Leave some for me!”

“URP. SORRY MORSEL.”

.

.

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	19. One Step Forward (Sequel to 'Guilt')

Prompt #1 - Oof... Angsty thought just came to me—while Eddie is helping Reader with her groceries, what if someone tries to shoot up the store or something, and Eddie isn't thinking he just reacts on instinct, shifting to stop the shooter and obviously Reader panics, trying to get away but gets knocked over in the chaos of everyone else fleeing. My brain is terrible but also really good occasionally.

#2 - Could you continue the Prey story? Maybe have Venom/Eddie help the reader out for a day, just doing basic tasks?

#3 - Hello! I just want to know that I love your little drabbles about Venom and Ultron. I try and make sure I catch up on them when there is another out. Anyways. I was wondering if you could maybe make a part 3 to the Prey writing prompt if you are still taking them?That one is one of my favorites of the ones you’ve written. Though all of them are good and I’m especially excited to get another chapter of I Just Want You To Know Who I Am.

* * *

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This was the worst idea you’d ever come up with.

 _Why_ had you suggested to Eddie that he accompany you to the grocery store? Fucksakes, his ‘alter ego’ - Venom - had nearly disemboweled you. 

Your breath left you in a groan as you stared down at your right arm and left leg, both enveloped in casts, shivering at the memory of that monster snapping your arm like a twig.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

But, you needed the help. Your Mum was still recovering from the infection, and out of the two of you, you were in the best shape. At least you could get some physical labor out of the man, if he ever showed up.

Grumbling, you sat down on the steps to the apartment building, setting your crutches next to you. Maybe he wouldn’t show up. It would make carrying stuff home all the harder, but it _would_ be easier on your frayed nerves. 

Eddie had seemed genuinely horrified and apologetic at what had happened, of what Venom had done. You hadn’t even batted an eye at being told that aliens existed, too drawn up in your own fear and anxiety at the time, but now, you allowed some surprise to wash through you.

Too bad your first experience with alien life had landed you in the hospital.

A sigh left you as you propped your chin on your left fist, idly casting you gaze up and down the street. Five more minutes, and you’d leave without him. Maybe all that ‘atonement’ stuff had been bullshit….

But a shadow moved in your peripheral, and you turned towards it, blinking when Eddie Brock stepped out of an alleyway, his ‘jacket’ literally shifting around him.

Well, shit, he’d showed up.

“Sorry we’re late,” Eddie murmured as he walked over to you, looking a little sleep deprived. You tried to muster up enough spite to feel good about that, but failed at the very visible guilt and worry in his eyes. Goddamn puppy-eyed bastard. “I, ah, forgot where you lived.”

“S’fine,” you muttered, ignoring his held out hand as you grabbed your crutches and struggled to your feet. “I haven’t been waiting long. Thanks for…. thanks for coming.”

He obviously noticed your discomfort, but didn’t mention it. “It’s one thing the symbiote and I agree about - we don’t break our promises.”

You hesitated. Eddie fell into step next to you as you led the way down the street, and you waffled over whether to ask or not before diving in. “That happen a lot? Disagreements?”

“At first, yeah. Thought we’d worked things out but….” His breath left him in a rush. “What we did to you–”

“Leave it.” When he looked at you in shock, you exhaled through your nose and frowned at the sidewalk ahead. “Can’t be changed, and I don’t want to talk about it. It happened, I survived, drop it. No use kicking a dead horse.”

Eddie frowned, staring down at the ground beneath his feet for a full minute before looking at you again. You kept your gaze forward, jaw tight, hands clenched on your crutches, hoping he wouldn’t keep talking about it.

Luckily, he seemed to take the hint, merely sliding his gaze across your face before nodding stiffly. “How’s your mother?”

You let out the breath you’d been holding, relieved for the change in topic. “Much better. Still a little weak, but those pills saved her life. If the infection had gotten into her bloodstream…. I don’t want to think about it.”

“I was thinking of doing an article about the lack of care for low income families,” he admitted, smiling weakly when you slid your gaze over to him curiously. “I work as a journalist. It pays the bills.”

“Ah. Yeah, it might be worth it. All those ‘free clinics’ are shit. Free to see the doctor after a ten hour wait but we still couldn’t afford the goddamn meds.” A tired huff left you. “And I’ll be paying off that hospital bill until the day I die.”

“We looked into that actually.” At your surprised look, Eddie tapped his ‘jacket’ fingers closing on a folded piece of paper that materialized. “There are some assistance programs you can contact to cut down your bill or even have it forgiven completely. All you’d need to do if fill in some paperwork and talk to the right people - we can help with that. We’ve got all the phone numbers and emails of the department’s you’d have to contact.” 

Genuine surprise washed through you. “You…. you did all that?”

One shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. “Said we’d help.”

“…..thank you,” left you in a soft murmur, hands tightening on your crutches. “I didn’t…. I didn’t know programs like that existed.”

“You’re welcome. We just–”

“Want to help. I know.” A sigh left you at how harsh you’d sounded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I’m just… I don’t know anymore. Trying to wrap my brain around all of this.”

“It’s alright.”

You shook your head. “No, it’s not. You apologized and you’re trying to help and I shouldn’t bite your head off. I’m just…. tired, and I hurt.”

“Painkiller’s not working?”

“I’m taking Tylenol.”

Eddie frowned at you suspiciously, and you avoided his gaze. “You didn’t fill your prescriptions, did you?”

“Meds vs rent. Rent wins.” You sped up as much as you could as you spotted the grocery store. “Hope you’re as strong as you look, they’ve got some canned stuff on sale.”

Mercifully, he didn’t pry, merely followed you. Was even kind enough to take control of the shopping cart once the two of you reached the store, following you at a safe distance so as not to trip up your crutches. Though he did arch a brow when you whipped a shopping list out of your bra.

Everything was going fine - almost everything on your list was on sale. Even managed to find some real vegetables and fruits on sale instead of the cheaper frozen ones. And even though you wanted to grab a bunch of canned stuff, you cut back, not wanting to overload Eddie. He looked strong, and yeah, the ‘alien’ could have helped, but you didn’t want him to get hurt on the walk back.

You were handing the cashier a bunch of coupons when the screaming started. A stampede of people recoiled from the first three cashes, some tripping and frantically _crawling_ for cover.

“Stay here,” Eddie growled at you, and you shivered at Venom’s voice melded with his as he pushed you down into the isle as blackness wrapped around him, his form nearly doubling in size as he launched himself towards the source of the panic.

You meanwhile, tried not to freak out. Merely sat there, panting for a minute, before the sounds of other people panicking and crying slipped past your own terror.

You, not being the brightest, or maybe too good-hearted, left your dubious shelter to go help an elderly lady that had almost been trampled by the stampede, balancing awkwardly on your crutches as you pulled her into one of the grocery isles.

People were huddled down in the ice cream isle, one nursing a cut above their eye, and you shuddered, heartbeat rising into your throat as the very familiar sounds of gunfire echoed through the store, followed by a snarl that was straight out of your nightmares.

Everything in you screamed to stay put, to huddle down with the rest and just fucking wait for everything to be over. But there were other people in the line of fire, some who were frozen in fear, pale and staring at something you couldn’t see.

“Fucking hell,” you whispered under your breath as you forced yourself forward, hobbling out to grab another person by the back of their shirt and dragging their stunned form into cover.

Heard more gunfire, and a much closer female scream of pain, and bit your lip as you edged out into the open again, moving to a teenage cashier who was curled up into a ball in the checkout lane. Rapid, panicked, footsteps had you ducking down, covering her trembling form with yours, as a ski-masked individual bolted past. 

He almost got out before a black tendril lashed around his legs, tripping him, and you met his horrified, wide-eyed, gaze as he was dragged backwards across the floor, his hands scrambling at the tiles in an attempt to stop. Had to turn your gaze away when his scream ended with a serious of pops and snaps, more blood spattering the magazine shelf just a few feet away.

Another five loud shots, far too close for comfort, sounded, and you tucked yourself closer to the crying girl as a second man moved into your line of sight. He seemed all to pleased to spot you, and you felt your blood freeze in your veins when he immediately rose his gun to point it at you.

“Get the fuck back, monster! Else I’ll fill these bitches full of lead.”

You narrowed your eyes. You’d been face to face with a pissed of Venom. A gun paled in comparison.

Which was why you lashed out and bashed him in the face with a crutch, ducking when his pistol went off, the bullet whizzing past your cheek to embed itself into the candy rack. Saw him clutch at his face before a massive black form tackled him, and that scared you more than anything else.

Couldn’t stop the whimper that left you as Venom merely crushed the gunman’s head against the floor, your lungs aching as you forgot how to breathe in the face of terror. 

Venom rose to his full height, and you shrank backwards as he turned to look at you, those pale eyes fixing on you, that long tongue licking at blood-stained fangs. “GOOD MOVE WITH THE CRUTCH.”

You let out something close to a whine, panic gripping your chest tight, and he actually winced. The symbiote immediately boiled away from Eddie, and you fixated on a human face full of worry as the alien reformed around him in the guise of jeans and a shirt.

“Jesus, shit. Are you alright?”

You couldn’t help but flinch away from him as he reached out to touch you, your breath wheezing in your throat. “….not again, _please_ , not again….”

“No, no, no. Shh. Look at me, it’s alright,” Eddie soothed, kneeling to be at eye level with you. “We won’t hurt you. Just breathe, okay? _Breathe_.”

You went from forgetting to breathe to hyperventilating in a heartbeat, your stomach bottoming out as your gaze found the robber with a crushed head just feet away.

“Don’t look at him.” Eddie shifted to block your view. “Just breathe. Slow breaths. That’s it. Just keep breathing, we’ll take care of everything.” He reached into a fake pocket and pulled out a wad of bills as he stood, slapping them onto the checkout lane’s counter before grabbing your bags of groceries. “C’mon, can you stand? We have to go.”

Standing. Okay, you could do that. Your legs almost gave out under you as you gripped the counter with your good hand and used a crutch to get to your feet, wobbling there a moment before a black tendril extended from Eddie’s arm to hand you your second crutch.

It literally took everything you had left to accept it.

As soon as you were mobile, Eddie gently ushered you out the front doors. Sirens were approaching, and he set a quick pace that you struggled to keep up with as he led you down the block and into the shadow of an alley.

Your breath was leaving you in desperate gasps as you wobbled there, tiredly moving to lean back against a brick wall. Your heart was almost beating out of your chest, hands shaking, and the urge to throw up had you tasting bile on the back of your tongue.

Eddie set the bags of groceries down in a clean-ish spot before moving over to you. “You okay? You’re not hurt?”

“N-no,” you panted, shaking a little. “I just…. I wasn’t ready to– S-see _him_ again.”

“We know. We’re so sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you like that.” When you shook your head and clenched your eyes shut, Eddie reached out to touch your cheek, brushing a bit of blood spatter off your skin. “Saw you pull those people to safety. You were very brave.”

“I don’t _feel_ brave,” you whispered. If you hadn’t been leaning on your crutches so heavily, you’d have been on your ass in garbage.

“Doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

Unable to muster up the energy to argue, you huffed before leaning your head back against the brick wall, staring up at the bit of sky you could see between buildings. 

Eddie let you rest for a moment before speaking again. “Still with us?”

“…yeah.” Slowly, you refocused on him, then forced your aching body to push away from the wall, resting your weight on the crutches again. “Let’s get out of here before the cops find us.”

The walk back to the apartment was quiet. You were still trying to convince yourself not to run screaming down the street, and Eddie was brooding. A block away from your home, you stopped mid-step and stared at him until he realized he’d left you behind and paused to look back at you. 

“I’m sorry for freaking out,” you frowned. “But you…. You and your ‘symbiote’ buddy saved a store full of people, and that counts for something. I don’t think I’ll ever be fully comfortable with Venom, not after…. everything. But… thanks for saving my life.”

A look of mixed appreciation and worry flitted across his face. “You don’t have to thank us for that.”

“Yeah, I kinda do. I’d have gotten my fool ass shot if Venom hadn’t– Anyway. You saved me and a bunch of other people. So, thanks.”

He hesitated for a moment, searching your gaze, before a slight smile tugged at his lips. “You’re welcome.”

.

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	20. Midnight Introductions

Prompt - Dramatic prompt for ya! Reader is in a somewhat new relationship with Eddie, but doesn't know about Venom—he doesn't want her to get hurt, and his Other can be...unpredictable. Things are pretty smooth, and Reader is used to Eddie having to work late—he's a reporter, after all. But then one night she wakes up in the middle of the night to hear someone in the apartment, and against her better judgement goes to look n gets surprised by stronk space bf.

* * *

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It had been a wonderful date.

Your three month anniversary - it had gone by so fast! - with Eddie had been a blast. A movie, then dinner and drinks at your favorite restaurant and a short walk along the edge of the Park. Eddie was charming and kind and funny, and while his job as a reporter kept him out at all hours of the day and night, you cherished the time he put aside to spend with you.

Things had moved so quickly that you’d invited him to move in with you. You’d seen his apartment, and while you were sure it suited his needs and budget, you weren’t a fan of the slightly rougher neighbourhood. He’d gladly accepted, and you’d christened the some new sheets in celebration.

Still, you always sensed that Eddie kept a part of himself distant from you. You didn’t pry, if he wanted to tell you, he would. But it made you wonder.

Everything was amazing until the night you discovered Eddie’s secret.

It had been past midnight when a thump from the living-room had dragged you out of sleep. Sometimes Eddie got up at night if inspiration struck and he wanted to write down some ideas, so you didn’t think twice of getting up and shrugging into your housecoat.

But it was dark when you opened the bedroom door, blinking in the dim light from the oddly open window in the living room as you padded barefoot down the hallway. “Eddie?”

There was a sound of shifting mass, a shadow that seemed to melt further into the darkness, and you backed towards the kitchen as two pale white eyes reflected the light from a passing car. Panic had you reaching for the butcher block that held the knives, pulling out the largest chef’s knife available before spinning to face the thing at the far end of the room.

You weren’t generally a brave woman, but you weren’t going to just stand there and let yourself be killed by some _thing_ in your apartment without putting up some sort of fight. “Who are you?! What the hell are you doing in my apartment?!”

It moved, stepping into the light pooling into the apartment from the open window, and you pressed yourself back against the kitchen counter. Pale pupil-less white eyes, fangs, far too many fangs. Easily seven feet tall, massive shoulders, hands ending in wicked talons. It was something out of a nightmare.

It’s attention dropped to the knife in your hands. “GOING TO USE THAT ON US, LITTLE MORSEL?”

The deep, amused, baritone growl sent a shiver of fear up your spine. “W-What do you want?”

“WANTED TO MEET YOU. GOT TIRED OF BEING IN THE BACKGROUND ALL THE TIME, ALWAYS HIDING.” 

You couldn’t hold back the whimper that left you when it stalked forward, invading your personal space. A black tendril extended from it’s left arm, coiling around the knife’s blade, plucking it from your hand before replacing it in the butcher block.

“SHH, LITTLE NIBBLE. WE WON’T HURT YOU. JUST… WANT A TASTE.” A long tongue extended from behind those fangs, and you closed your eyes as the creature leaned in, licking a wet, hot, trail up the side of your face, grumbling a little when it tasted your tears. “HMPFT. HE SAID YOU’D BE AFRAID.”

Curiosity made you frown, looking at it as it stepped back, seemingly dismayed at your reaction. “W-who did?”

“EDDIE.”

You couldn’t have heard right. “You know, Eddie?”

It smirked, and that was terrifying. “BETTER THAN YOU, MORSEL.”

“I-I don’t understand. How….How do you know, Eddie?”

A chuckle rumbled out of it, and a bit of it’s face seemed to peel back, showing a part of a human face beneath. Eddie’s face. Eddie’s _sleeping_ face. “HE’S A GOOD HOST. A LITTLE WHINY,” the creature said as it’s blackness reformed over Eddie’s face, hiding it from view again. “DON’T KILL THIS, DON’T EAT THAT, DON’T SCARE MY GIRLFRIEND. WHINY.”

“What… Who the hell are you?”

“HM? OH, WE’RE BEING RUDE. WE’RE VENOM.” It actually extended a large hand towards you, as if it expected you to shake it’s hand.

Venom. Holy. Fucking. Hell. You knew all about the Demon of San Francisco. Had read all the papers, seen the news. Your knees went weak, and only your hands clenching on the edge of the counter kept you upright. “Ohmigod.”

Your vision slanted, blood rushing in your ears, and everything went a little sideways. Didn’t hear the muttered curse, only felt yourself being lifted and carried over to the couch.

You could only blink in shock as Venom gently sat you down on the couch, a low, rock-tumblr sort of noise leaving him. “BREATHE LITTLE NIBBLE. EDDIE WILL BE MAD IF YOU GET HURT BECAUSE OF US.”

The tone of his voice made it clear that Eddie getting mad at him happened often. “W-why didn’t Eddie tell me about you?” you frowned, meeting it - his - gaze as he knelt next to the couch, lowering himself closer to your eye level.

“HE’S TRYING TO PROTECT YOU FROM US,” he muttered sourly, a snarl leaving him. “AS IF WE WOULD HURT OUR MORSEL.”

“I’m not _yours_.” _  
_

He snorted. “YOU ARE EDDIE’S SO YOU ARE OURS. SYMBIOTES SHARE _EVERYTHING_ WITH THEIR HOSTS. THOUGHTS, MEMORIES, _SENSATIONS._ ”

You felt a blush rise when the implications of that hit home. Saw Venom grin, one of his taloned fingers sliding up your bare left leg. 

“YES. THAT TOO. IT’S BEEN HARD, STAYING IN THE BACKGROUND. THOUGH WE DO ENJOY THE SHOW.”

You slapped his hand away when it started to creep up under your housecoat, tugging at the hem of your nightgown. “Stop that.” Sighing, you raked a hand through your hair, mind racing. “How long have you and Eddie been…?”

“BONDED? A YEAR.”

“So he’s been lying to me. At night, he’s not out doing research. He’s… You’re–”

“PATROLLING THE CITY. HE ONLY LETS US HUNT THE ‘BAD PEOPLE’.” Venom actually used air-quotes. “LIKE WE SAID, WHINY.”

You didn’t want to think about what Venom did to people, good _or_ bad. Unbelieving of your current situation, you groaned and dropped your face into your hands. “This is insane.”

That weird, rock-tumblr, noise left him again, and you felt him set a large hand onto your head, petting you. “YOU HUMANS, ALWAYS SO MELODRAMATIC.”

“I am not being ‘melodramatic’! I’m trying very hard not to lose my temper,” you snapped, raising your head to glare at him. “What else have you and Eddie been hiding? What else has he lied about?”

Venom looked genuinely taken aback for a moment before smirking, apparently amused by the anger in your voice. “FEISTY, LITTLE NIBBLE. EDDIE DIDN’T LIE, ONLY HID US FROM YOU. WE— UH OH.”

Well, that couldn’t be good. “’Uh oh’?”

A grimace twisted his alien features. “EDDIE IS AWAKE AND YELLING. THOUGHT WE’D HAVE MORE TIME.” He grumbled something under his breath before the blackness that was the ‘symbiote’ retreated, exposing Eddie’s face and torso before vanishing into his skin, leaving him in just his boxers. 

You blinked at the angry look on his face. “Eddie?”

“I told him to leave you alone,” he growled, reaching out to cup your face in his hands, eyes searching yours desperately. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt are you? I’m so sorry, sometimes he just takes over without asking and–”

“I’m okay,” you assured him, your anger fizzling at the very real worry in his voice as you rose your hands to rub your palms along his arms. “I’m just… I have questions.”

The corner of his mouth quirked a little. “Figured you would. I was planning on telling you, just…. not like this. Ask away.”

The two of you spent the better part of an hour talking, whereupon you learned that the symbiote was an alien that had been found by the Life Foundation, an organization that used to be run by Carlton Drake. Eddie had incurred Drake’s wrath by digging a little too deep into a story, and had been kidnapped and used as an experiment. Drake had hoped that the alien would kill him, but the symbiote had instead bonded with Eddie, the two escaping, and later tearing the organization and Drake apart.

Since then, Eddie had been funneling the symbiote’s predatory nature into cleaning the City of various scum and lowlifes. The papers were right, he _was_ a monster, but he swore that he’d never harmed someone who didn’t deserve it.

By the end, you had a better grip on what you’d gotten yourself into. Though you wondered if you’d had asked Eddie to move it had you known he was also harboring an alien that liked to chew on bad guys.

“And, Venom. It… it won’t hurt me, right?”

“What? No! No. It, ah….” Eddie rose a hand to rub at the back of his neck, avoiding your gaze. “It likes you. I wouldn’t have gotten involved with you if it didn’t - it would have been too dangerous. It may sound weird, but you’re probably the only person who’s perfectly safe with Venom, other than me. It got…. impatient. It doesn’t like being ignored.”

“You realize this is going to take some getting used to.”

“Yeah. I just… I’m sorry I had to hide this from you. I was afraid…. Would you have even gone on a date with me if I’d told you straight out I was bonded to an alien symbiote?”

You gave that some serious thought. “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I might have been too afraid to go deeper.”

He winced. “You want us to go?”

“…..No.” You met his hopeful gaze calmly. “Just…. No more lies. Now that I know…. _everything_ …. Please, just don’t lie to me anymore.”

“Scout’s honor.” He even marked a cross over his heart. “It’s late, we’ll take the couch, go back to bed.”

You waffled over that for a moment, before quirking an eyebrow at him. “The couch isn’t very comfy.”

Eddie blinked, then gave you a brilliant, relieved, smile. “We don’t deserve you.”

Still feeling a little overwhelmed, but armed with answers and Eddie’s assurance that you were safe with him - and Venom - you rose from the couch and padded over to him where he was sitting in an arm chair, holding a hand out. “I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”

He rose as he curled his fingers around yours, and you did your best not to jump when a black tendril extended from his arm to wrap around your wrist, squeezing gently. “Just a warning, now that you know about it, the symbiote’s not going to stay hidden anymore. It’s… kinda possessive.”

“Possessive how– whoa!” The last was because more tendrils has lashed out to coil around your waist, yanking you into Eddie’s open arms. He rolled his eyes and effortlessly scooped you up, carrying you towards the bedroom.

“Well, let’s just say that if anyone messes you, you won’t have to worry about them for very long.”

“Two over-protective boyfriends for the price of one. _Oh goody._ ”

Eddie’s warm laughter washed over you as he tumbled the two of you into bed, and you playfully shoved at his shoulder before snuggling into him. You didn’t even jump when blackness coiled around your body, tucking you firmly against him, one tendril rising to lightly brush against your cheek.

Things were weird, yes. But you could get used to it.

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	21. Elevator Troubles while Expecting

Prompts - How about Eddie and venom with a expecting f/o? Thank you for your amazing writing it helps perk up my day! :)

Can you do a prompt where the reader is pregnant with Eddie’s kid? Then after a lot of arguing their finally allowed to go shopping on their own. Only to get stuck in the elevator on the way home. So Eddie, and Venom have a panic attack trying to find them.  

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Two pink lines had changed your life.

At first, seven months ago, those two lines had terrified you. You hadn’t been ready to be a mother, and your boyfriend made things…. complicated. Sure, at first you’d been a little leery of dating Eddie when you’d learned he was bonded to an alien symbiote, but you’d adapted to that. But having a kid… wow. That was huge.

You’d initially been a wreck when you’d missed not one, but two periods. It was only when Venom had tattled on you and told Eddie that your scent had changed that you’d hesitantly admitted to Eddie what you’d been hiding from him.

The two of you had immediately gone out and bought half a dozen pregnancy tests. You’d read the instructions and followed them, and the next ten minutes, waiting for the results, had been intense. Eddie had been worried - you both knew that he wasn’t quite ‘human’ anymore, not with the symbiote intertwined in his very blood, his every cell.

But when those two pink lines had shown up, he’d given you the brightest smile you’d ever seen and picked you up to twirl you around. You’d laughed, relieved and excited by his enthusiasm, worry tempered by his firm promise that he’d be with you every step of the way.

The symbiote, of course, had instantly peppered the poor man with endless questions. Once it had understood what was going on, Venom had taken Eddie over, knelt in front of you and pressed his face to your then-flat stomach, sniffing and nuzzling, expressing that it had _sensed_ something different in you, but that it hadn’t known what it was.

Well, then.

The next seven months had been a whirlwind. Eddie had insisted in getting the two - soon to be three (or was that four?) - of you into a bigger apartment. He’d switched jobs, choosing a more financially stable journalism job down at one of the largest newspapers in the City.

Despite his protests that he could provide for you and the baby on his own, you’d put your foot down and ignored his attempts to talk you into quitting your job down at a women’s clothing boutique downtown. Your boss, a lovely grandmotherly-like woman, had been overjoyed to learn that you were expecting, and had quickly offered you all the time off you needed for doctors appointments and whatnot.

Venom, meanwhile, had begun what he called ‘nesting’, the symbiote always insuring that you were well fed, comfortable and as safe and he and Eddie could manage. They were never more than a phone call away, and you knew that if trouble dared to come near you, it was Venom that would appear to literally stomp that trouble to death.

There had been a lot of steak purchased and ‘appropriated’ before Eddie told the symbiote that you needed fruits and vegetables more than meat. And when you’d started craving pineapples and onion soup, the alien had literally scratched his head before shrugging and going out to steal a crate of pineapples from the import docks. Eddie at least paid for the onion soup from the nearby restaurant which slightly offset your guilt for the pilfered fruits.

Venom had been endlessly entranced as your belly started to swell, had stared at the sonogram from the doctor for hours on end in shock and awe, talons tracing the picture of the small life growing within you. At night, when it was his turn to sleep with you, he’d keep a taloned hand cupped against your belly protectively. Often, even when it was Eddie sleeping next to you, you’d wake up to the symbiote covering your stomach like a black blanket, the alien constantly enamored by the baby’s heartbeat and movements.

Now, seven months along, you were appreciative of both of your boys’ help, but you were low-key ready to strangle them. Perhaps it was the hormones, but all of their constant pampering and over-protectiveness was getting to you.

Eddie had once again tried to talk you into, if not quitting, then at least taking time off work. Venom had offered to kill your boss, and then you’d gotten a headache from listening to Eddie and Venom bicker.

You’d stomped out of the apartment that morning without so much as a ‘goodbye’, slamming the door hard enough that the walls rattled a little. Had simmered down by the time you’d gotten to work, thankfully, and your boss had given you a knowing look.

“Man problems?”

“Can’t kill him, he’s my source of soup,” you muttered as you, somewhat roughly, hung some new dresses onto hangers.

Your boss laughed, eyes kind. “Oh, I know. My Martin was the same. Nothing turns men into complete worrywarts like a pregnant woman. I actually made out a plan to kill him with a roast and then cook it to eat the evidence.”

The mental image made you laugh. “Better yet, you could’ve fed the cops the evidence.”

She grinned. “Exactly! Here, come do my tired old eyes a favor and do your magic with the books. I can hang those up.”

It was a bad attempt to get you to sit down and take the weight off your aching back and ankles. But it wasn’t framed as an order or a whine, so you nodded and went to sit down behind the counter, opening Quickbooks on your boss’ laptop and letting yourself sink into some basic accounting.

The shop ended up being busy that day. Fifteen bra fittings needed, and thrice as many customers needing help picking out outfits. Half left messes and unfolded clothes behind, and you felt like you were picking up after toddlers as you refolded everything and sorted through the clothes that had been tried on and found unworthy.

You were exhausted by quitting time, your ankles swollen, back aching, and a headache pounding behind your temples. You were looking forward to heading home and putting your feet up.

A text from Eddie made you pause just as you were leaving the shop, a sigh leaving you when he said he’d be late and to take it easy and that he loved you.

Hormones. It had to be hormones, because you had to wipe at your eyes.

Huffing, you called him back. “I’m sorry for this morning,” you blurted when he answered.

“Babe, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to push, I know you like your job. I just worry. And, uh, _he_ , is sorry too. Didn’t realize that you liked your boss that much.”

You rolled your eyes as you walked along the street, the smells of a nearby Thai restaurant making your stomach growl a little. “She’s a kind lady who keeps paying me on my days off despite it not being in my contract and who also buys me pineapples so I don’t have to deal with cravings at work. So yes, I’d like to keep her around.”

“ _Sorry, pretty_.” Eddie cleared his throat as the symbiote relinquished control of his voice. “Anyway, we’ll be an hour or so late. Just head home, we’ll go pick up your soup once we’re free.”

“Don’t worry. I can grab it on my way home.”

“Babe–”

“Eddie, I am pregnant not an invalid. I’ll just pop in the restaurant, buy soup, and head straight home. Easy peasy.”

He sighed into the phone, and you narrowed your eyes, readying yourself for a fight. “Promise you’ll take it easy,” he said instead of protesting, like you knew he wanted to do. Like Venom was probably doing in his head.

“Promise. I’ll even buy some of that cake I know you and V like.”

“Triple chocolate?”

“Yup.”

“Well, how can we say ‘no’ to that?” His chuckle that echoed through the phone made you smile. “Love you.”

“Love you too. I’ll see you later.” You hung up feeling better, less homicidal and less likely to try to smother him in his sleep. Climbed onto the streetcar heading home and smiled at a teenager that offered you his spot on a bench.

Your mission to appropriate soup and cake was effortless, and you happily cradled the paper bag to your chest as you walked the last couple of blocks home. Achy and hungry, you stopped to gather up the mail in the apartment’s lobby before stepping into the elevator.

About halfway up, it started to groan, and you quirked an eyebrow at the light screeching sound it made before it rattled to a stop, the lights going out.

Shit.

You reached for the ‘help’ button, pressing it and the emergency button. The bell sounded, loud, echoing in the small elevator, but no one answered the help line’s phone. Nervous, you pulled out your smartphone, heart sinking when you saw that there was only one bar of service available. 

What the hell was the elevator made of that you couldn’t get proper phone reception?! Lead?!

Still, you tried dialing Eddie again, voice coming out shaky and nervous when you thought you heard the line pick up. “Eddie! Eddie, the elevator’s stuck, I need help! Can you hear me? Eddie?” You pulled the phone back to peer at the screen, sighing when you saw the words ‘no service’ flashing.

Trying to keep from freaking out, you pounded on the doors, kicking a few times as you bellowed. “HELLO!! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME!?! HELL-FUCKING-O?! PREGNANT WOMAN WHO NEEDS TO PEE TRAPPED IN THE ELEVATOR!!”

Panting, holding onto your calm by your proverbial nails, you slumped back against the wall, fighting the urge to sink to the floor - you’d never be able to get back up if you did. Spent a moment jabbing your thumb into the call button, listening to the elevator phone ringing endlessly over the blare of the emergency bell before, _finally_ , someone picked up.

“What?”

“I’m stuck in the goddamn elevator, don’t you ‘what’ me! Can’t you hear the alarm?!”

“Oh.”

“OH?!”

“Just… Shit. I’m twenty minutes away at another building. Just chill. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“WhaaAAAAT?! But I’m _pregnant!_ ”

“You in labor?”

“You’d better fucking hope I’m not!”

“Then I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

The resounding ‘click’ of the Superintendent hanging up on you felt like the final nail in your coffin.

Unbeknownst to you - this would be recounted to you by Eddie and Venom later that night - Eddie _had_ gotten _some_ of your call. It had been garbled. He’d made out the words ‘Eddie’ and ‘help’ amidst a lot of static and blaring alarm noises and panicked. He’d screamed ‘pregnant girlfriend in trouble!’ at his boss and bolted out of the office.

It was Venom that swung through the City, ignoring the screams from the people that spotted him out in the daylight. He’d burst into the restaurant that he _knew_ you’d gone to, shattering the plate glass window in his entrance. Upon realizing that you weren’t there, he’d upended a table in frustration, scarfed down someone’s steak dinner and left by ripping the front door off it’s hinges.

Luckily, he’d spotted a car driving a little too fast, weaving through traffic, with an elevator repair service truck following at it’s bumper. He’d easily spotted it as both vehicles had screeched to a halt in front of the apartment building, a trio of men rushing inside.

Thankfully, Venom’s territorial nature insisted that he find out what the hell was going on in ‘ _his_ ‘ building and he’d gone to investigate.

You meanwhile, had a migraine from the alarm, and were dealing with a little panic by beating on the elevator doors while screaming obscenities. Only when the blare of the alarm cut off did you stop, head tilted a little. “Hello?”

“Jesus, Lady, you got some lungs on you!” Drifted up and through the closed doors. “Listen, I got a repairman here, we’re trying to figure out what’s wrong, okay? Just sit tight!”

“I’ve been ‘sitting tight‘ for twenty minutes!”

“Well then you’re already a pro at it, aren’t you?”

You snarled, debated kicking the doors again, just out of spite, but your sore feet took precedence. Instead, you pushed the heels of your hands into your lower back, trying to ease the constant, slowly worsening, pain there.

Unable to do anything else, you paced your small enclosure, back and forth, being careful not to kick the now-cold soup and cake takeout you’d placed on the floor. Felt tiny kicks from your baby against your belly, and slid a hand to press against the tiny bumps, trying to even out your breathing. “S’okay, junior. Either this asshole will get us out of here or your Daddies will come home and kill him. It’ll work out you’ll se–”

You cut yourself off with a shriek when the whole elevator shook, wobbling hard enough to send you to your knees. Heard the cables holding you from plummeting groan in response, and felt your heartbeat kick up accordingly.

“Jesus, Lady! You drop that kid or something?!”

“You’re not fucking funny!” You screamed back at the Super, before covering your belly with your hands, feeling the elevator wobble again. “Please don’t let me die in an elevator,” you whispered to whatever Gods were listening. “Or at least, let the elevator take out the Super on the way down.”

“SORRY, PRETTY. DIDN’T MEAN TO SCARE YOU.”

You gasped and jerked your head up, staring at Venom as he peeled back a section of the elevator’s ceiling as if it was as flimsy as a can of sardines. The elevator shook again as he dropped through the hole he’d made, landing in a crouch in front of you.

He reached for you at the same time that you flung yourself into his arms, closing your eyes when he enveloped you in a hug. “SHH, LITTLE NIBBLE. WE’RE HERE NOW.” Venom nuzzled at you a little before scooping you into his arms, and you finally relaxed. Nothing short of a nuclear attack would convince Venom to leave your side now.

Odd how just ten hours ago you were ready to kill him for doing just that.

“HOLD TIGHT,” he rumbled, and you wrapped your arms around his neck accordingly, blinking when he extended a tendril to pick your purse and bagged food up off the floor before leaping straight up.

The two of you easily cleared the elevator and another twenty feet of elevator shaft before Venom shifted his grip on you, the arm that had been supporting your legs reaching out to grab onto the edge of a ladder. He hung there for a moment, before shoving off, bouncing off the opposite wall and sending the two of you sailing through the open elevator doors on the fifteenth floor.

He twisted and landed on his back, protecting you and your swollen belly from the impact, and you lay there, eyes clenched shut, before the feeling of him licking at your cheek made you open them. “Are we alive?”

A deep, baritone, laugh left him. “OF COURSE,” he chuckled as he fluidly rose to his feet and carried you into your apartment, hissing a question when you wriggled out of his arms. 

“Bathroom,” you blurted as you ran for it. Managed to get there in time to avoid an accident, and you blushed when he chuckled at you through the door when you sighed in relief. “Oh, hush.”

Did your business, then washed your hands before rejoining him in the kitchen, where he was in the middle of devouring the piece of cake you’d bought for Eddie. “Eddie needs to get downstairs and explain to the Super that I’m out of the elevator. And maybe yell at him a bit.”

“WE COULD GO. DON’T LIKE HOW HE TALKED TO YOU.”

You decided not to mention how long you were stuck in the elevator, otherwise Venom might disembowel the man. “Yes, well, nothing to be done about that now. And, thank you, for coming to my rescue.”

A rumble very much like a purr left him as he moved over to you, one hand settling on the small of your back to pull you close while he leaned down to lick at your cheek. “YOU SOUNDED SCARED ON THE PHONE. YOU KNOW WE’LL ALWAYS COME TO YOU WHEN YOU NEED US.”

“I know. Still, thank you.”

“WE ACCEPT KISSES AND CHOCOLATE. AND WE ALREADY HAD CHOCOLATE,” he smirked, and you rolled your eyes before tilting your head up, sighing as he claimed your lips in a hungry, heated, kiss.

There was the sound of a startled cry from the open apartment door, and the still open elevator doors. Something that sounded suspiciously like ‘what the fuck happened to the elevator?!’ drifted to your ears, and you sighed as you reluctantly pulled away. Venom grumbled a little, nuzzling at your neck, and you heard him drink in a lungful of your scent, his free hand dropping to cup your swollen belly protectively, talons gentle against you.

He pulled back a moment later, pale eyes widening, when the baby kicked out, and you chuckled a little at the shocked expression on his face.

“Junior’s not a fan of elevators,” you said with a smile as Venom dropped into a crouch and framed your stomach in his hands. He tapped at a spot, grinning with a happy rumble when a tiny kick answered him.

The call of ‘Lady, where the fuck are you?!’ from the hallway made both of you grumble.

“I’m fine! Boyfriend saved me! He’ll be down there to talk to you in a minute!” you hollered back, gently sliding a hand across the nape of Venom’s neck when he growled something about hanging people from their entrails. “Eddie needs to make an appearance, hun.”

Venom hissed, then reluctantly pulled away. Rose to his feet and placed a kiss to your forehead before the symbiote pulled away from it’s human host, reintroducing Eddie to the world as it shifted around him to form jeans and a button down shirt.

The man blinked a few times to reorient himself, then smiled at you in relief and pulled you in for a brief hug. “Glad to see you’re alright, babe.”

You leaned into him a little, taking comfort in his embrace. He was warm and strong and safe, and you drank that in, along with his scent and the smell of his aftershave, before necessity made you pull away. “I hate elevators. Do me a favor and go yell at the Super for me.”

Eddie, being a journalist, eyed you. “Were you in there all this time?”

“Yeah. He was at another building. Took him almost half an hour to get here.”

His eyes darkened, like a storm rolling in. “Yeah, we’ll have words with him. Nuke your soup and go put your feet up, we’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Yup.” You rose up onto your aching tip toes to kiss him again. “No killing the help.”

A chuckle left him, laced with Venom’s own unearthly rumble. “ _We promise nothing._ "

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	22. A Different Kind of Hero

Prompt - Little prompt for you! Eddie/Venom is getting their ass kick by a hero that thought that the reader was being kidnapped/hurt by them. The hero knows exactly how to hurt venom and the reader gets pissed off and ends up yelling at the hero and throwing bricks or something at them.

Also answered here: _Here’s a prompt: Reader is in established relationship with Venom. Someone finds out and asks the question “Why the hell are you with a guy like Venom? Did he eat your brain too?” Reader gets… defensive of the boys.  
_

This turned sappy at the end! I didn’t mean it to. The characters had a mind of their own.

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It had started out as a rather lovely date.

Venom had taken you webslinging around town, bringing you to his favorite high spots around the City. You’d seen the stars - something hard to view in the heart of a bright City like San Francisco - swung across the Golden Gate Bridge and seen the City spread out under you like a carpet of lights.

It had been a wonderful night, up until the asshole with some sort of sonic scream had blasted the two of you out of the air mid-swing.

Venom had grabbed onto you, curling himself around you as much as he could, symbiote tendrils encasing you protectively as he’d crashed to the street below. The impact had knocked the breath from your lungs, and stunned Venom enough that you’d had to shake him to get him to answer you.

That screeching nitwit had taken advantage of your boyfriend’s addled state to rush in and rip you out of his grasp, ignoring how you screamed and tried to beat at him as he literally dragged you down the street.

“It’s alright! You’re safe now.”

You dug your heels in, and when he turned to give you a baffled look, slapped him across the face. It felt like slapping a brick wall, you might have broken your hand. “You fucking _asshole!_ Let me _go!_ ”

Your ‘savior’ blinked. “But–”

Venom had recovered by then, and lunged forward with a roar. “SHE’S _OURS!_ ”

The resulting shriek that came from the man’s open mouth had you crying out and clamping your hands over your ears. Venom - or more accurately, the symbiote - gave an answering howl of agony, blackness boiling away from Eddie’s body as the alien writhed in pain, it’s connection to Eddie making him scream too, hands clutching at his head.

Tears of pain gathered in your eyes as your ‘savior’ stepped past you, leaving you kneeling in the middle of the street as he advanced on your incapacitated boyfriend. Another deep breath preceded a second drawn-out cry, rippling the air in front of him as the sound waves traveled. Bits of the road broke from the sonic scream, car windows shattering, alarms going off. A newspaper stand crumbled under the force, and through it all, Venom tried, desperately, to hold his form, one taloned hand reaching for you.

Never let it be said that you were a delicate waif in need of saving.

You spied a small cordoned off section nearby. There were some construction tools there, a locked truck, neon orange pylons. You staggered to your feet and grabbed the only thing available, then ran at the fool who had ruined your date.

The idiot’s next shriek was cut off with a satisfying crunch of a breaking bone when you swung your improvised weapon and caught him in the middle of the face with the flat of a shovel.

The scream that left him was garbled by pain and the blood that poured down his face, his hands rising to his flattened nose. You took out his legs with a sweep of the shovel’s long handle, then moved to stand over him when he’d sprawled to the ground, shovel raised as if you were holding a baseball bat.

“You fucking _asshole!_ “ You hit him in the ribs when he drew in a breath to do that sonic yell again, then hit him in the head again just to make sure he was too addled to attack. “Did I _look like_ I needed your dumb ass to rescue me?! I get _one night off_ a week from my job. _One!_ And our date is ruined by yet _another_ idiotic do-gooder trying to save me _from my own boyfriend!_ ”

The ‘hero’ rose a bloodied hand from his face, voice incredulous. “ _THAT_ ‘S your _boyfriend?!_ Venom?!”

“No _shit_ Sherlock. Did you not see how he took the impact of the fall to protect me?” The man moved to get up, and you cracked him in the left knee with the spade of the shovel hard enough for it to let out a pop. He howled - thankfully not in the sonic-y way - and clutched at the limb, blood still pouring down his face. “You try that shrieky soprano shit again and the next hit will be to your fucking _throat!_ Stay. The. Fuck. Down.”

Not trusting the idiot further than you could throw a Mazda, you kept your gaze on him while calling out over your shoulder. “Hun? You alive? Please tell me you’re alive!”

“HRRRN. W-WE’RE ALRIGHT, MORSEL.” Venom sounded drunk and in pain and pissed. “JUST… GIVE US A MOMENT… TO PULL OURSELVES TOGETHER.”

The hero was now looking at you in disgust, and it took everything you had not to just smack that expression off his face. “You’re aiding and abetting a murder! What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?!”

You shook your head. “You’re obviously a new to the City. Venom only kills bad guys. Murderers, rapists, drug pushers. Occasionally idiots that attack him for no goddamn reason. Last week, he broke up a sex trafficking ring. The week before, he took out a dock manager that had been illegally importing drugs on the down low. The week before _that–_ ”

“It doesn’t matter! He’s a killer! He takes the law into his own twisted hands–”

“Says the idiot who attacked us without provocation and nearly killed me.”

That shut him up, though he didn’t look happy about it. Almost like he’d bitten into a lemon. He stayed silent, stewing, for almost a while minute before opening his fool mouth again. “I was wrong - you’re not worth saving.”

You blinked at him, stunned, insulted. _Hurt_. Instead of hitting him with the shovel again, you said, “You really shouldn’t piss off the only person keeping you alive.”

Heard a low, savage, snarl from behind you as Venom finally rose to his feet, stalking forward to place a large hand on your shoulder, gently squeezing you in reassurance. 

“OUR MORSEL IS INFINITELY PRECIOUS TO US. AND YOU NEARLY KILLED HER,” he growled, lowly, tongue licking at his fangs as his pale eyes narrowed at the idiot. “WORSE, YOU INSULT HER IN FRONT OF US.”

The hero grunted, one hand pinching at the bridge of his nose to stop the bleeding as he addressed you. “That _thing_ called you ‘morsel’ and you think you’re safe with it?”

“It’s a pet name, you _moron_.” You seriously debated hitting him with the shovel again.

Venom glanced at you. “HE’S DENSE, ISN’T HE?”

“Exceptionally dense.”

“WE’LL KILL HIM FOR PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK.”

You sighed and held your right arm out to stop his forward motion, glancing at Venom when he rumbled at you curiously. “I think that’s what he wants,” you murmured, returning your gaze to the hero, who widened his eyes at you in surprise. Surprise that you’d guessed his new intention. “It’ll only make you into the monster he thinks you are. And then they’ll all come gunning for you.”

Your odd boyfriend hissed, fangs gnashing the air. “HE HURT YOU.”

You took stock of yourself. You were sore, pissed off, but generally unharmed. “I’m alright.”

“IT IS NOT A PHYSICAL HURT, OUR LOVE.”

He really could read you like an open book. 

Suddenly very tired, you lowered the shovel, trusting Venom to keep you safe. The man sprawled on the ground in front of you was darting his gaze from you to Venom in disbelief and shock, pale under the stain of blood on his face. 

Your ‘savior’ made a noise of derison. “That _thing_ isn’t capable of love. You’re an idiot if you think it cares.”

“That still doesn’t make me as big as idiot as _you_.”

Venom leaned down, getting into the hero’s face, snarling. “YOU ALMOST TOOK OUR CHERISHED ONE FROM US, LITTLE MAN. WE’VE KILLED OTHERS WHO HAVE DARED TO HURT OUR NIBBLE. WHAT SHALL WE DO TO YOU? PERHAPS WE’LL START BY RIPPING YOUR LIMBS OFF, ONE BY ONE. OR MAYBE WE’LL JUST SEVER YOUR HEAD FROM YOUR BODY–”

“He’s not worth it,” you murmured, softly, your gaze locked on the man on the ground, who was staring at Venom in a dull sort of horror. 

“MORSEL–”

“Venom, please–”

“Jesus, fuck, you love him back, don’t you?”

Venom snarled at the hero, and you lay a hand on your boyfriend’s chest, your touch alone keeping him from lunging at the idiot and disemboweling him.

“Venom saved me, when no one else could be bothered. Kept me safe, looked after me, even when I was afraid, at first. He’s been kinder to me than any other person I’ve ever met. He understands what it is to be ostracized, to be an outsider. To be lost and then found.” You narrowed your eyes at your ‘savior’. “You attacked him at the height of his swing. If he had dropped me, I’d be dead. My life never mattered, did it? You just wanted to be the one to spout that you’d killed Venom, the supposed ‘Demon’ of San Francisco. You’re an idiot. I should let him kill you, I really should. But I’m tired. And I want to go home.”

You turned to look up at Venom, pleadingly. “Take me home?”

He visibly hesitated, looking from you to the man at your feet, then back again. “ONE SECOND,” Venom rumbled, and you watched as he moved to rip a strip of metal off of a trunk of a nearby car. It was as malleable in his hands as cloth as he crouched in front of the other male, smirking as he wrapped the metal around his head, essentially muzzling him. “THERE. NO MORE SHRIEKING.”

You smirked. “Have fun getting that off,” you drawled, watching the hero claw at the metal. He tried to shriek, but the metal held strong, and you saw his nose start to bleed fresh blood as the sonics rebounded back into his own flesh.

Turning away, you looked up at Venom, who huffed as he wrapped an arm around your waist, tugging you close. You sent one last look at the ‘hero’ as you reached up to curl your right arm around Venom’s neck, holding on as he tightened his grip on you and lifted you off your feet.

You gave the moron your middle finger as Venom crouched a little before leaping straight up, black webbing extending from his right hand to anchor to a nearby building, enabling him to swing the two of you up and away.

When he judged that the two of you were far enough away to be safe, Venom thudded down onto a rooftop, gently letting you slide down the front of his body until you were on your feet. “LITTLE NIBBLE–”

“I’m alright.” Okay, yeah, the snappy tone to your voice kinda made that a lie.

Two taloned hands gently cupped your face, and you leaned your head into his left palm as he licked at your cheek. “MORSEL…” 

You cut him off, resting a hand against his chest. “Are _you_ alright? _Both_ of you?”

“WE’RE… SORE. BUT UNHARMED. YOU SAVED US. OUR BRAVE, MORSEL.” Venom leaned down, fangs grazing your lips before he kissed you, gently at first, then with more hunger. “HE SPOKE LIES. YOU ARE ALWAYS WORTH SAVING.”

“…Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

“WE KNOW. ANOTHER KISS?”

A soft laugh left you as you rose up on your tiptoes to meet him, gasping a bit when he wound an arm around your waist to haul you up against him as he captured your mouth, tongue sweeping in to taste you.

Yeah, your life may have been odd. And your boyfriend odder. But that hero hadn’t been the hero you needed. You’d needed someone fiercer, stronger, more predatory. And you’d found one.

.

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	23. The Carnival's In Town

Prompt - Hi there! I just found your blog, and I must say, I love your writing! Could I request a story with Venom/Eddy x female reader where Eddy/Venom and the reader go to some sort of event and they only leave the reader's side to go get her food (because they're always like hand-feeding her and stuff with her on their lap) and while they're gone, this guy comes up to the reader and starts trying to grope/ harass her. How would Venom/Eddy react without revealing who they are?

* * *

 

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You loved carnivals. The lights, the rides, the games, it was exciting and wonderful _,_ and made all the better by the company that came with it.

Both you and Eddie had taken time off work, meeting up in the afternoon so the two of you could have as much time as possible at the carnival. You’d gone through almost all the rides - sometimes twice - eaten more junk food than you did in a month, and Eddie had taken great pride in winning multiple prizes for you at various games - balloons, costume jewellery, a cute little pink bear on a keychain. He’d given you a warm, loving, look in understanding when you’d offered a little girl who hadn’t been able to win anything your over-large stuffed panda bear.

Granted, no one knew he was cheating by having Venom help him out, but you weren’t about to announce his secret to the world.

Yes, it had been a little weird to learn that your boyfriend was bonded to an alien symbiote. Odder still that the alien was Venom. It had taken some getting used to,  you couldn’t lie. But meeting Venom, spending time with the so called ‘monster’, had only cemented the fact that said ‘monster’ wasn’t a monster at all. 

Or at least, not to you.

It took a bit of getting used to, having basically two boyfriends inhabiting one body. They’d worked out some sort of schedule - Eddie would work during the day, and Venom would come out at night while his ‘host’ slept. They spent equal time with you as well. One evening it would be Eddie taking you out to dinner and a movie, the next, you’d be web-slinging across the City in Venom’s arms.

Oddly, it had been the symbiote’s suggestion to head out to the carnival once it had learned about the event on the news. Venom had access to Eddie’s memories, his childhood joys of visiting and riding coasters and tilt a whirls, and had expressed curiosity, even excitement about it, especially about the rides.

Eddie’s laughter at it’s excitement at experiencing a roller coaster for the first time had made you grin. It was so much like Venom’s web-slinging, just with the little added fear of possibly running off the rails.

After a third visit to the coaster - now lit up with bright lights since the sun had gone down - Eddie nudged you a little before resting his arm across your shoulders. “Hey, you hungry?”

“Sure.” You cast your gaze around at the various food vendors, then grinned. “Oooh, is that a pretzel stand?”

His easy laughter rumbled into you, and you felt the symbiote reach out from the arm across your shoulders to lightly caress the side of your neck with an inky tendril. One thing that both of them liked to do was feed you. It stemmed from your usual horrible habit of forgetting to eat. “Pretzels it is! Hang tight, we’ll be right back.”

“‘Kay.” You decide to wander a little, never leaving Eddie’s line of sight of course. It wouldn’t do for Venom - territorial and possessive and so, _so_ , protective of you - to make an appearance in the midst of a crowded carnival simply because they couldn’t find you.

So you investigated the nearby games, helped a little boy aim a gun at a plastic moving duck and win a prize, before going to stand next to the Carousel, smiling at the bright painted horses and uplifting music.

Your first thought as an arm wrapped around your waist was that Eddie was back. Your second, upon realizing that it was a stranger, was that if Venom spotted him, he’d be dead in an instant.

“Move the hand or lose it,” you snapped, twisting out of his hold when his hand lowered in preparation to grope your ass.

“Aw, c’mon, pretty lady. Someone like you shouldn’t be here all alone.” His breath smelled faintly of beer and hot dogs, face sporting an ugly five o’clock shadow, brown eyes dark and leering. “How about you an me blow this joint and go have some fun, huh? We’ll have a nice time.”

“No thanks. My _boyfriend_ is off getting food.” You tried to shimmy away, not wanting to make a scene and alarm the nearby children waiting for a turn on the carousel.

The man grasped your wrist, tight, keeping you from escaping, and you glared as you tried to wrench yourself free. His lips quirked in a sleazy smile as he started to tug you after him as he headed for the entrance to the carnival.

You braced yourself against his pull, eyes narrowing, and you were in the process of pulling your right arm back to deliver a haymaker punch that Venom  had taught you when Eddie suddenly appeared at your side, two pretzels held in his left hand.

“Let her go. Right. Now.” There was a lot of Venom’s deep, predatory, baritone, growl in Eddie’s voice.

Your unwanted suitor didn’t even blink. Merely gave Eddie an up and down look, then snorted, unimpressed. “Piss off, punk.”

Dumbass.

Unable to cause a real scene, Eddie reached out to close his right hand on the man’s wrist. A shadow moved along his arm that had nothing to do with the darkness of the night, and you felt the idiot’s hand loosen as Eddie calmly applied pressure.

“You’re bothering my girl, asshole,” he growled, Venom’s voice melded with his, an unearthly combination of two contrasting tones. Your would-be suitor’s eyes started to bulge as Eddie continued to squeeze, and you were certain you heard bones break as the man’s grip on you suddenly vanished.

Relieved, you retreated to Eddie’s side, resting a hand on his other arm, feeling his ‘jacket’ undulate under your fingers.

“Jesus, shit! Fuck, let go man!” The stranger tried in vain to pull himself free, but at that time, it was Venom that had a hold on him, covering Eddie’s hand like a taloned glove. “You’re breaking my fucking arm!”

“YoU DaRe tO ToUcH _oUr_ GiRl?”

One minuscule twist of Eddie’s wrist sent the other man to his knees, and this time, you were certain you heard something snap. Realized that Venom was crushing the guy’s hand and wrist to a pulp, and, very aware of the looks and attention you were garnering from the growing crowd, you gently tugged on his left arm.

“Let’s go. He’s not worth getting into _trouble_ over,” you said, drawing Eddie’s gaze, the whitish cloud receding from his eyes as he blinked at you. “Don’t let one asshole ruin our date, lover.”

He turned his head to frown down at the man at his feet, then growled and - visibly fighting against a no-doubt raging Venom’s influence - uncurled his hand from around the male’s wrist. It flopped unnaturally, bones obviously broken, and you grimaced a little at the sight, gently tugging Eddie away from the idiot as the man cradled his mangled hand to his chest, whimpering and crying pathetically.

You hustled Eddie away from the scene and towards the far end of the carnival that held the tilt a whirl, feeling him shudder from time to time as he fought Venom’s no doubt impressive anger. The symbiote didn’t like having to relinquish it’s prey, especially if the alien thought someone had harmed you.

“V, it’s okay. I’m okay,” you murmured softly, knowing that he could hear you. The whitish clouds had reformed over Eddie’s blue eyes, jacket bulging a little as alien muscles started to form. “You’re going to give Eddie a stroke, calm down, please. That guy will be lucky if the doctors can save his hand, you made your point.”

An inhuman snarl echoed in both voices left your boyfriend before the symbiote visibly settled, and Eddie’s breath left him in a relieved sigh. You turned and stepped into him, curling your arms around him in a hug and pressing a kiss to his lips when he clutched you to him.

“Better?” you asked after a minute, where Eddie had hidden his face in your hair, nuzzling into you. The symbiote was using your proximity and the shadows to wrap tendrils around your waist, slipping under the hem of your shirt to touch your bare skin. Little feelers spread across your back and stomach, caressing you gently.

“Yeah. Though we lost the pretzels.”

“Baked goods are expendable. You aren’t,” you told him, smiling when he rose his head from yours and moved to kiss you, slow and warm and loving. “Wanna go make out on the Ferris Wheel? It’ll be dark enough, no one will be able to see _anything_.”

“You read our mind,” Eddie smirked, blue eyes dancing a little, his mood visibly rising. The symbiote vibrated against you in a sign of happiness and excitement, and you giggled at the ticklish feeling. “After, we’ll try getting you those pretzels again.”

“Hah. Deal.”

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	24. Tell Me It Will Be Alright (Major Comic Tie In)

Prompt - So I don't know if you're still taking Venom prompts, if not sorry... but I noticed the latest cover of Venom has him with some cool looking wings. Any chance of getting some wingfic with Venom, with reader awed and wanting to pet them?

Needed Info: I'm obviously skimming over some canon from the comics for this one. In case anyone who’s read them is also reading this, let’s just say that the whole Knull symbiote-god mess has happened, Knull is dead, and Venom & Eddie have survived, shaken - and slightly crispy in Eddie’s case - but alive. (Rex, he’s dead, per canon.)

This is kind of a mashup of comic and movie. Venom and Eddie are separate ‘people’ just sharing one body. The Knull stuff is from the recent comics. It’s the only way I could work in the wings and still have their sudden appearance make sense.

(You don’t have to have read the comics to understand what’s going on, I summarized things.)

* * *

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Neither Venom or Eddie were forthcoming about where they’d been for over a week.

Eddie had vanished abruptly seven days ago, stating that the symbiote was ‘sick’ and that he was terrified that you’d be in danger if it forgot who you were and attacked.

Naturally, you’d spent the week worrying. Especially when the news had started coverage of the huge symbiote-dragon that was rampaging across the City. You’d glued yourself to the TV, watching the reports, searching for any glimpse of Venom, because you knew, _knew_ , that he was in the thick of things. Barely slept, only ate when your stomach growled. The entire city was on lock-down, so there was no worry about missing work. Though all that had accomplished was to give you more time to fret.

You’d been pacing the living-room, trying Eddie’s cellphone again, when a familiar thump sounded from the rooftop. Hope, dangerous hope, rose in you as you shoved the window open, clamoring out onto the fire escape and rushing up the rusted stairs and ladder.

He was _there_. Waiting. That familiar white spider emblem almost glowing in the dark of the night, pale eyes watching you a little warily.

Throwing caution to the winds in sheer relief, you ran forward and flung yourself at Venom, arms wrapping tight around him. “You’re alive!”

There was a brief moment where he hesitated, before you were enveloped in a bear hug that had you fighting tears. A familiar rumble vibrated out of him, a noise that he only made for you, and you hiccuped as Venom lifted you off your feet.

“SHH. OH, WE’RE SO SORRY, MORSEL.” Hearing his voice after thinking him dead made you lose the urge to cry, and he loosed a pained sound as he licked at your tears. “OH, DON’T CRY. WE HATE IT WHEN YOU CRY.”

You whacked him in the chest hard enough that he grunted. “You two scared the hell out of me! Where have you _been?!_ You just up and _left_ and I had no idea where you were, if you were alive or _dead_ –”

“THINGS WERE OUT OF OUR CONTROL. _WE_ WERE OUT OF CONTROL. IT’S A LONG STORY, THERE’S SO MUCH TO TELL YOU.” He nuzzled his face against your hair as you shifted your grip so your arms were curled around his neck. “WE _MISSED_ YOU. BUT WE HAD TO LEAVE, WE WERE… INFLUENCED. DANGEROUS. WE’D NEVER FORGIVE OURSELVES IF WE HURT YOU.”

Sniffling, you let him wipe your tears away with a tendril. “But you’re okay? _Both_ of you?”

“EDDIE IS HURT, WE’RE HEALING HIM, BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what happened?” you asked gently. Both Venom and Eddie had a horrible habit of keeping you in the dark about a lot of the stuff that happened to them under the guise of ‘protecting’ you. It drove you screaming up the walls.

He started to shake his head, then, when you narrowed your eyes at him, paused. “WE… DO OWE YOU AN EXPLANATION, DON’T WE?”

“I’ve been worried sick, so yeah, you do.”

Wincing at the steel in your voice, Venom shifted his grip on you, one arm wrapping tight around your waist to keep you close while he rose the other to gently brush your bangs out of your eyes. His pale white gaze locked with yours for a long moment, before he sighed and nodded.

Still holding you flush against him, Venom carried you over to the edge of the building. You thought he meant to web-sling you somewhere, but all he did was move to sit down, settling you onto his lap with his arms wrapped tight around you.

Slowly, haltingly, he laid out what had happened the last week. Told you of Rex, a symbiote whose past stretched all the way back to Vietnam. Of Knull, a God, of all things, that fancied himself the deity of the entire Klyntar race. At one time, that malevolent creature had controlled all symbiotes, before being defeated - the aliens breaking free, and then imprisoning the one who had tried to control them.

But Knull still had influence, had been slowly gaining strength, stretching his mind out throughout the universe. It had been him that had woken and controlled the dragon-symbiote, who had influenced Venom himself and tried to control him, to regain control over him.

You learned that Rex had helped, joined with Eddie and Venom, that the final battle with Knull and his dragon had been a series of sacrifices and close calls with weapons that had caused harm to both sides. Rex, alive since his original host had died in Vietnam, had given his life to pull the symbiotic Knull-dragon into a furnace, and Eddie had gained severe life-threatening burns holding the door closed while the would-be-god had fought and tried to escape.

But fire, fire was deadly to symbiotes, and eventually, the dragon had turned to ash, Knull’s consciousness sent back to it’s prison across the galaxies. Venom and Eddie had saved the City, again.

And people had the nerve to call them ‘monster’.

You were hugging him tight when Venom finished speaking, his arms curled just as strongly around you. Didn’t speak as you pulled back a little, merely rose a hand to his face, cupping his cheek, before gently tugging him down so you could kiss him.

He melted into the kiss, the tension vanishing from him, and you poured your relief and love into the embrace, only pulling away when you needed to breathe.

Venom followed your movement, fangs nipping at your lips, before he pressed his forehead to yours, unwilling to give up contact. He rumbled, his version of a purr, exhaling a sigh, and you murmured his name, thumbing his cheek.

“Will you be okay?” you whispered, because despite what he’d said, you knew that neither Venom _or_ Eddie were as well as they were pretending to be. That they were both shaken up by everything that had happened, despite their brave front.

“YES. EDDIE IS HEALING, AND WITHOUT KNULL’S INFLUENCE, WE ARE OURSELVES AGAIN.” Venom nuzzled into you, licking at your cheek before seeking out your lips again, kissing you briefly. “WE LEARNED A NEW TRICK. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?”

He was trying to deflect your attention away from the fact that both of them were hurt and shaken, but this time, you let him. “Of course.”

Pleased, Venom rose up from his seat, carrying you to the middle of the roof before setting you on your feet again. Curious, you watched as he walked a little ways away from you, quirking an eyebrow at him when he smirked at you and gestured for you to look away.

“Seriously?”

“IT’S A SURPRISE.”

You rolled your eyes at him, but dutifully turned so your back was to him. Heard him shift a little, a low hiss escaping him. Wondered what in the world he was planning, what he’d learned from Knull and Rex - symbiotes were aliens, there was no telling what Venom had picked up –

“ALRIGHT, NIBBLE. YOU CAN LOOK NOW.”

Endlessly curious, you turned, then gasped.

Wings.

Huge, black and red, _wings_ stretched from his sides and back, easily twenty feet from wingtip to wingtip. “Holy–” Stunned, you took a step forward, one hand outstretched, then paused. “How?”

Venom’s baritone voice was subdued a little as he spoke. “KNULL. HE… HE TRIED TO BURN THE GOOD - THE _LIGHT_ \- OUT OF US. TO BURN EDDIE, AND _YOU_ , OUT OF THE PART OF US THAT IS SYMBIOTE. HE FAILED, BUT FOR A MOMENT, WE WERE _CONNECTED_. WE LEARNED A LOT FROM HIM, FROM THE OTHERS THAT HE WAS CONNECTED TO. REMEMBERED THINGS THAT WE HAD FORGOTTEN. KNULL DIDN’T KNOW… COULDN’T KNOW…”

You walked over to him, resting your right hand on his chest, fingers lightly tracing the white spider emblem there. “Know what?”

“HE THOUGHT HE COULD TURN US TO DARKNESS, TO EVIL.” Venom rose a hand to your face, talons gentle against your skin, and he leaned down to press his forehead to yours again, those great wings curling forward to encircle you protectively. “BUT THE LIGHT… IT’S _BEAUTIFUL_.”

A soft smile tugged at your lips, and you crossed the space between you to kiss him again, swallowing the low, desperate, moan that left him as he pulled you close again. Black tendrils lashed around your arms and waist, slipping under your shirt to touch more skin, his hands cupping your face as he tasted you, the tip of his tongue exploring your mouth.

“COULD NEVER FORGET YOU AND EDDIE,” Venom growled, lowering his face to press it against the side of your throat. “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER.”

“And neither Eddie or I could ever forget you,” you murmured, hugging him tight. It was a moment before he rose his head, and you placed a gentle kiss to his fangs as you reached out to pass your left hand over the air above his right wing. “May I?”

“OF COURSE.” Venom turned his head to watch, tilting the wing a little closer to you as you grazed your fingertips across the red membrane within your reach, pausing when he shivered. “HEH. TICKLES.”

Relieved that you weren’t hurting him, you pressed your palm flat, then slid it up, across the faux elbow joint, and then higher, to the claw at it’s upper tip. Venom shivered again, the synoptic membrane under your hand undulating a bit, though the hands that slid down to grip your ass told you that it wasn’t from being ‘tickled’.

“I like your wings,” you murmured with a smile, passing your hand across it’s surface until you reached Venom’s ribs. “It’s very… gothic.” 

“EDDIE CALLED THEM ‘BADASS’.”

A laugh left you. “They’re that too.”

“YOU KNOW HOW WE LIKE THE STARS?” When you nodded, Venom grinned. “YOU SHOULD SEE THEM ABOVE THE CLOUDS. HIGH ENOUGH, EVEN THE CITY LIGHTS LOOK LIKE LITTLE CONSTELLATIONS. WHEN EDDIE IS BETTER - AND AWAKE - WE’LL BRING YOU FLYING.”

“I’d like that.” You pulled your hand away as the membrane you were touching rippled, the wings retracting, unraveling, vanishing into Venom’s flesh. “For now, how about some chocolate and one of those nature shows you like?”

He gave you a relieved smile, lightly nipping at your nose. “WE’D LIKE THAT, VERY MUCH.”

.

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	25. Downtime

Prompt - If you're still accepting requests, could you do an Eddie/reader where Eddie is mentally and physically tired and the reader just let's him lay on them and play with his hair and rub his back, just super fluff and lovey please?

* * *

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Venom might have been strong and powerful, but underneath, Eddie was just a man. A man that worked all day and then let the symbiote take over at night so it could patrol the city and scare the hell out of bad guys.

You knew that Eddie’s endurance and strength was greatly enhanced by the alien he was bonded to, but muscles were just tissue, and while the spirit was strong, in the end, flesh was still weak.

So when Eddie got home that night, dragging his feet, dark circles under his eyes, shoulders slumped, too tired to even bother greeting you with more than an exhausted kiss to the cheek, you decided that enough was enough.

Luckily, Eddie was too drained to put up any sort of fight as you corralled him into the bathroom, ordering the symbiote to bare as much of his skin as it could as you moved to the large shower and spun the taps on, adjusting the heat of the water to a decent temperature.

“In you go,” you murmured, smiling when Eddie mustered up enough energy to press another kiss to your cheek as you gently but firmly pushed him into the large enclosure, the symbiote weaving around him as it formed fangs to bite at the spray of water. 

It took only a moment to shuck out of your own clothes before you joined him, putting up with the symbiote’s tendrils that wound around your waist, thighs and arms as you grabbed Eddie’s favorite body wash - something unscented that didn’t make Venom endlessly complain about the smell.

Even though the last shower you’d taken with Eddie had lasted an hour and had included more fun, you were intent on not letting him _or_ Venom turn this into something that the man obviously had no energy for.

He had his back to you, hands braced against the tiled wall as he hung his head under the spray of water, and you gathered some soap onto your hands before lightly slicking them cross his shoulders. The muscles there twitched a little, but other than that, he didn’t move, and you murmured to Venom to keep watch in case the man fell asleep on his feet. 

You kept your touches soothing and calm as you washed his back and sides, kneeling to scrub up his legs. It showed how tired he was that he couldn’t even muster up anything except a slight smile as you gently coaxed him to turn around so you could wash his chest and arms. His steel blue eyes were heavy lidded, and he wove a bit on his feet before Venom shifted to anchor him, black tendrils braced against the tile and glass enclosure to steady him.

“When’s the last time you washed your hair?” you murmured as the water washed the suds from his body and your hands. 

“…don’t remember.” He did a slow blink. “What day is it?”

“Tuesday.”

“Oh. A few days then.”

“Kay, c’mere.” You swept up his shampoo and squirted some into your palm, sidestepping around him so he was facing away from you before lathering up his hair. He sighed contentedly, tilting his head back so you could do your work. 

Once you judged his hair clean enough, you flicked soap off your fingertips before you grabbing the handheld shower head and pulling it free to carefully wash the suds from his head, one hand cupped protectively on his forehead to keep errant bubbles from going into his eyes.

Venom kept oddly silent during the whole thing, though you could feel the symbiote shift it’s grip on you from time to time. Maybe he hadn’t realized how exhausted his host really was, or maybe, for once, he was just behaving. (You doubted that last bit)

Deciding Eddie was clean enough - and the hot water had definitely helped to ease the tension in his shoulders and back - you turned off the taps, then stepped out to grab a large towel and wrap it around him, smirking a little as you threw a second one onto his head and vigorously dried his hair.

He laughed a little when he’d caught his reflection in the mirror once you pulled the towel off his head - every strand of his hair was sticking out in various directions, like he was touching one of those exhibits at the Science Museum that made the hair on people’s head stand on end.

The symbiote moved to reform around Eddie, but you stopped that with a flick to a patch of blackness on the man’s chest. “Nope. You’re going to let Eddie get some honest to God _rest_ tonight, Venom. He’s practically dead on his feet.” You rose your gaze to Eddie’s as you wrapped a towel around yourself. “You. Bed.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he drawled, and you rolled your eyes at him when he gave you a lazy salute.

You followed him into the bedroom, pausing to pull on some underwear and a tee shirt before giving Eddie a push. He didn’t even bother resisting, just let himself fall onto the bed, faceplanting himself onto a pillow and sprawling across the mattress.

You took a moment to admire the naked man on your bed, before shaking yourself a little and climbing up to straddle his thighs. Black symbiote tendrils lashed around you again, just holding, Venom always craving contact, and you lightly caressed the bit around your waist. It gave you a squeeze, undulating a little, and you smiled as you rubbed your hands together to warm them before you went to work on the muscles in Eddie’s back.

Eddie always carried his stress in his shoulders, the muscles there always knotted and tense. Luckily for him, your mother had been a massage therapist, and she’d taught you all she’d known. So you effortlessly sought out every knot, every sore spot, alternating between steady pressure and slow massage, until Eddie almost literally melted underneath you.

You worked your way down his back, chasing down tight muscles and sore flesh, fighting a stubborn knot by his left shoulder blade before continuing down along his spine. You stopped at his waist, then headed back up, making sure that you’d done your work properly.

His back done, you eased the tension out of his neck, then went to his arms, rubbing your palms firmly down them, from shoulder to wrist, over and over, until a soft snore from the man under you made you stop.

Smiling in relief, you moved to get off of him, pausing when the symbiote tightened around you. “I’m just going to go turn off the lights in the living-room and make sure the door’s locked,” you whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

It stiffened a little, then, slowly, released you, reforming around Eddie in the guise of boxers and a tee shirt. You were careful not to make the mattress bounce too much as you rose off of him, hearing him mumble something unintelligible as you silently padded out of the room.

You double-checked the locks and slide the chain in place before going to shut off the TV, clicking off the various lamps. Only the dim light from the open drapes illuminated the apartment as you headed back to the bedroom, frowning a little when you saw that Eddie was awake again.

“Go back to sleep.”

“We will.” He paused to yawn. “Just as soon as you get in here with us.”

Rolling your eyes at him, you moved to flick off the bedside lamp, then slid into bed next to him. Eddie shifted over, and you tugged him close so he could rest his head on your chest, hearing him sigh as he relaxed, his arms moving to wrap around your waist to keep you close.

The symbiote instantly coiled itself around the both of you, nestling you in living warmth, and you felt a tendril brush across your cheek in the darkness. 

“Go back to sleep,” you repeated softly, raising a hand to gently stroke Eddie’s head, lightly running your fingers through his hair. “And Venom, leave him be tonight, okay? I’ll make it up to you with a chocolate cake tomorrow.”

Felt the symbiote give a little wiggle across your back, the bit of it caressing your cheek pressing against your lips in a sort of kiss before returning to it’s previous motions.

“Don’t deserve you,” Eddie mumbled sleepily, shifting until his ear was pressed over your heart.

“Shhh. Sleep,” you soothed, continuing to stroke his damp hair. 

“L’ve yah.”

You did your best not to laugh at the mangled words that slurred out of him. “I love you, too. Go to sleep.”

A long, drawn out, happy, sigh left him. “…m’kay.”

.

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	26. Daddy's Girl

Prompt - Venom/Eddie prompt: Eddie and reader are married and have a kid ( you can decide their age). The said kid doesn't know that his/her father is bounded to an alien symbiote. What happens when their offspring is in danger?

Edited October 11th to fit in with the 'Pregnant Reader' storyline of prompts ([Elevator Troubles While Expecting](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37639727))

* * *

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It had stared off as a normal day. You’d gotten your daughter, Jamie, up for school, managed to pry your husband out of bed - that had been harder, he’d gotten a little handsy - fed them, and sent them on their way.

Honestly, if someone had told you twelve years ago that you’d be happily married to someone bonded to an alien symbiote, you’d have laughed in their face. You’d certain never thought that you’d have a twelve year old daughter in the mix too.

But life had a way of turning out for the best.

It was your daughter’s birthday, and as soon as Eddie had guided Jamie out of the apartment to walk her to her bus stop, you’d quickly run back into the bedroom and pulled out the large bag of party supplies and presents you’d snuck into the apartment the week before.

You wrapped the new MP3 player, several books, three gift cards to her favorite online stores, and Eddie’s gift to her - an exorbitant gift in the way of a new smartphone. He was _always_ spoiling her.

Granted, he spoiled you too, so you didn’t argue.

It was while you were up on a chair, hanging paper streamers from the ceiling that the talk show on TV was replaced by an urgent newscast. You gave it scant attention until a brief glance showed a far too familiar bus teetering on the edge of the Bay Bridge.

Holy fuck. It was the bus that Jamie was supposed to be on!

Panic gripped your heart, and you jumped to the floor, running for your phone. Listened to it ring, constantly, while your gaze was locked on the TV.

Please, God. Please…

“Mommy?!”

The fear in your daughter’s voice made something cold knot in your stomach. “Sweetheart! Sweetie, please tell me you missed your bus!”

“No! The bus is going to fall! Mom, I don’t know what to do! The bus driver’s hurt, he’s bleeding, he’s not moving! What do I do?!”

You clenched your eyes shut. Neither you or Eddie had ever told your daughter about Venom. Not yet. Though, you wondered if, on some level, she knew. When she’d been young, a baby, really, it had only been Venom’s rumbling ‘purrs’ that had been able to get her to sleep when she’d been fussy. The symbiote had viewed her as a miracle - it didn’t procreate the way humans did, and found the entire pregnancy endlessly fascinating.

You and Eddie had convinced Venom to keep hidden once Jamie had started to talk. Children didn’t really have much of a filter - you’d both been afraid that she’d tell someone about Venom, about Eddie’s ‘alter ego’. The police were always on the lookout for him, after all. And a toddler drawing pictures of the ‘Demon of San Francisco’ and babbling about how he rocked her to sleep at night would raise endless questions.

Didn’t mean that Venom still didn’t sneak into her bedroom to check on her every night.

Now, you were faced with a decision. Your daughter’s life, or your husband’s secret.

“Sweetie, call your, Dad. Right now! Do you hear me! Call, Dad!”

Jamie’s voice was equal parts confused and scared. “What can Dad do?”

“Just do it! Trust me, baby, he’ll be able to help. Call him!”

“O-Okay… I love you, Mom.”

Your fingers clenched on your phone. “I love you, too, Jamie. Call your, Dad.”

The dial tone felt like a stake through the heart.

You could only watch the TV in quiet horror, the shaky helicopter footage showing how the bus was teetering on the edge, only the concrete barrier that was caught in it’s rear axle keeping it from plummeting into the water far below.

Anxiety and fear had you phoning Eddie, nearly crying when it went to voicemail. You didn’t leave a message, merely ended the call, clasping your hands together to stop them from shaking as you glued your eyes to the TV. _Eddie, Venom, I love you both, please save our baby girl._

Whether it was fate or God or some otherworldly interference, you almost cheered when a familiar black and white form appeared on camera. Instantly, the newscasters started babbling about Venom’s appearance, fearing for the children.

The urge to strangle the anchor of the news station made your hands curl into claws.

Holding your breath, you watched as Venom sent out numerous webs, anchoring the bus’s front end to keep it from sliding further before swinging under it. You knew Venom was strong, almost cheered as you watched the city bus start to lift, the helicopter lowering a little to catch sight of him as he clung to the edge of the bridge with one hand and rose the bus above his head with the other.

It was only when he’d shoved the bus back onto the bridge that you exhaled, thanking any listening deity for your husband(s).

The newscasters were flummoxed as Venom climbed up onto the bridge, giving the bus a final push that moved it onto the road, well away from the broken edge. He paid the helicopter and police little mind as he ripped the side of the bus open, wincing a little the chorus of screams from the people inside.

All of them recoiled to the far side, as far from Venom as they could. All, but for one girl, who merely stood there, blinking in shock and recognition. You saw her mouth move, couldn’t tell what she said, but it made Venom smile and reach out to hold a large, taloned, hand out to her.

Police and newscasters yelled in horror when she slid her hand into his, and you watched as he gently tugged her into an one-armed hug, black tendrils lashing around her waist to anchor her to him before he leapt off the edge of the bridge.

The helicopter gave chase as Venom web-slinged his way along the underside of the bridge and into the City proper, and you clicked the TV off, rising from the couch and going to unlock the window.

You knew Venom would easily lose the helicopter and the police. Knew that he’d head right home, your baby girl safe in his arms.

The next ten minutes went by in a slow crawl as you paced the living-room, all thoughts of decorating the apartment gone. All you wanted was to hug your daughter and reassure yourself that she was _alive_.

A familiar thump against the side of the building made you run to the window, tears gathering in your eyes again as Venom gently guided Jamie through.

She fairly threw herself at you, and you wrapped her up in a fierce hug, sobbing helplessly as she dried her own tears against your shirt. Felt Venom’s arms curl around you both, pulling you to his chest, and you rose your head from Jamie’s hair to press a kiss to his fangs. “ _Thank you._ ”

“SHH, MORSEL" He ducked his head to nuzzle at Jamie’s hair. “WE’D NEVER LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO OUR LITTLE NIBBLE.”

The girl in your arms hiccuped a little, then rose her head to stare at Venom. “I remember you… Are you really my Dad?”

Venom tilted his head at her. “IN A SENSE. HE’LL EXPLAIN.” Turing to you, he rose a hand to your face, thumb brushing across your cheek. “LOVE YOU.”

“Love you,” you murmured, smiling a little. Watched, hearing Jamie’s soft gasp of shock, as the symbiote peeled away from Eddie, baring his face, before the blackness reformed around him in the guise of boots, jeans and a button down shirt. “I love _you_ , too.”

He smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to your forehead, then did the same to a wide-eyed Jamie. “No doubt you have questions.”

She nodded, quietly, still holding onto you, and you slid a hand down her back reassuringly. “It’s alright, sweetheart. We knew you’d find out sooner or later.”

Her face scrunched up in a frown. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because we’re… well, you know Venom’s rap in this City. We wanted to keep you safe.” Eddie’s lips quirked in a smile. “When you were little, you used to draw pictures of Venom. Your first word was ‘Vee’ - He loved that by the way. But we couldn’t take the chance that you’d accidentally tell someone about him. There are people who would use you and your Mom against us, to _hurt you_ and we… We can’t let that happen.”

You sighed and hugged her. “We were waiting for the right time to tell you. We just kept putting it off. And… with all the bad press, Venom was even worried that you’d be afraid of him.”

Jamie visibly gave that some thought. “I remember him, a little bit. He used to… sing?”

“It’s more of a purr,” you smiled, chuckling when the symbiote extended a tendril from Eddie’s ‘shirt’ to touch your cheek. “When you were a baby, and you couldn’t sleep, the best way to calm you down was for him to purr to you and rock you to sleep in his arms.”

“So… He’s… You’re him, too, Dad? How does that work?”

“Ah. Venom is a symbiote. An alien.” Eddie chuckled at the shocked look Jamie gave him. “It’s a long story, but the gist of it is that symbiotes need a host to survive, and it bonded with me. Took a bit of getting used to, but we worked out a compromise. Venom would never hurt you, though, sweetie. He loves you just as much as your Mom and I do.”

You squeezed her to you in another hug, then rose a hand to smooth down her messy hair, idly tucking some loose strands behind her left ear. Jamie glanced at you, then at Eddie. “What about what the news says?”

He winced a little, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Venom takes the ‘lethal’ part of ‘protector’ a little too seriously. But, we only hurt the bad guys!”

“And Billy Marsh?”

You narrowed your eyes a little and turned to Eddie, who now looked embarrassed. “Yes, pray tell, what about Billy Marsh?” The boy had been a horrible bully to your daughter from grade four through grade six. Then he’d just stopped and started avoiding Jamie like the plague, nearly panicking every time she’d even gone near him.

“Um….”

Apparently free to show itself now, the symbiote rose to cover Eddie again, who merely rolled his eyes and let the transformation take place.

“NO ONE HURTS OUR OFFSPRING,” Venom growled, blinking when you turned a glare onto him. He shifted from foot to foot, glancing away, then huffed. “WE DIDN’T HURT HIM, MORSEL. MERELY… SCARED HIM A LITTLE.”

Jamie snickered a little at the scowl you gave him, and his nervous fidgeting. “Thank you, Venom.”

“Jamie!”

“What? Billy’s a prick, Mom.“

“LANGUAGE, NIBBLE,” Venom rumbled, snickering at the unimpressed look she gave him.

You sighed, then decided that since it was done, there was no point arguing over it. If Venom said he hadn’t hurt the boy, then you believed him - Billy was still _alive_ after all. The symbiote _was_ capable of exercising restraint. It was rare, but it happened.

“Still. It… explains some things.”

Venom exchanged a curious look with you. “What things, sweetie?”

Your daughter gave you a little squeeze before pulling away, and you watched in awe and a little horror as she jumped up, twisted in mid air, and landed on the ceiling, sticking to it with feet and hands.

Venom’s jaw dropped.

You sighed and rose a hand to your now aching temple. “Fucksakes.”

“H-How–?” Venom, apparently, had lost the ability to speak and function, because the symbiote was partially pulled away from Eddie, letting the shocked man’s voice come through.

Jamie shrugged, then hopped down to the floor. “About a year ago. I slipped in the shower and my hand stuck to the wall when I tried to catch myself.”

“A _year?!_ ” You tried, very hard, to keep your voice level and not freaked out. “Why– Why didn’t you tell us?!”

She shrugged, glancing away, wringing her lands a little. “Thomas’ parents sent _him_ away when they found out he was a mutant.”

You blinked, then rushed over to hug her again, hearing Venom’s angry rumble as you spoke, feeling her tighten her arms around your waist as she hid her face against your shoulder. “We would never! _Never!_ They’d have to pry you from my cold, dead, hands!”

“AS IF WE WOULD LET THAT HAPPEN,” Venom snarled, reforming around Eddie, his arms wrapping around both of you to pull you into a massive hug. Rumbling, he ducked his head to nuzzle at the top of Jamie’s head. “YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD US NIBBLE.”

Jamie had a mildly-irritated look on her face when he looked up at both of you. “Like you guys should have told me that Venom is also my Dad?”

Pale eyes glanced at you, and you sighed. “Touche. Yes, we should have told you. A long time ago. And… honestly, Venom knew you were different the day you were born. You, ah… _inherited_ some of his abilities.”

Jamie’s immediate question made you sigh again, knowing that Venom’s ability to be stern with your daughter was nil. Pretty much, you now had two teenagers in the house.

“Sooo…” Jamie rose her gaze to a curious Venom and grinned. “Does that mean you’ll bring me web slinging again?”

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	27. Finders Keepers (NSFW) (Hide & Seek Sequel)

Prompt - hello again! I was wondering if you could do a sequel to the nsfw chapter you did a short while back? Please?

Sequel to [Hide & Seek! (Chapter 16)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37372853)

What better sequel to smut than more smut! Haha

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Despite Venom’s desire to continue the night with another bought of sex in the Park, you’d managed to talk him into heading home. He’d acquiesced when you’d started shivering in the cool air, bereft of jeans - there were bits of them everywhere, but not enough to wear - and only wearing a jacket. Feeling exposed and cold wasn’t quite what you needed to get back into the swing of things.

Upon realizing that you were low-key freezing, Venom had wrapped you up in symbiotic coils, that inky, living, blackness spreading out to cover you from head to toe, chasing the chill from your skin.

He’d grinned smugly when you’d trembled a little, the synoptic skin covering you undulating across your body, the feeling of phantom hands stroking over your breasts, one smooth tendril slipping into you to torment your g-spot. 

Obviously, Venom had every intention of continuing the evening once the two of you got home.

So you’d clung to him as he swung you across the City, arms curled around his neck, periodically gasping when his ‘ministrations’ got a little too heated. But, he’d stop every time, keeping you teetering on the edge, and you glared at him when Venom chuckled lowly, _quite_ aware of what he was doing to you.

Venom landed on the side of your apartment building with a slight thud, and your breath left you in a whoosh when he pressed you up against the brick wall, leaning in to capture your lips. You moaned into his mouth as his tongue swept in to taste you, the low growl that left him vibrating into you. 

“V-Venom–” You gently pushed him back, breathing heavily when he nuzzled at your neck, moving his bulk to hide you from view when the lights from a passing car briefly illuminated the two of you. “Someone could _see_ us!”

A grumble left him, and he rose his head, pale eyes narrowing a little as he sent a look up and down the street, hissing lowly. “YOU’RE OURS,” he growled possessively, the hand gripping your hip tightening until you could feel his talons, even through the symbiote wrapped around you. 

“Then can we go inside so you can stop _teasing_ me?” you murmured with a smile, curling one leg around his hip to pull him closer as you slid your hands down his arms.

He rolled his pelvis into yours, watching as you gasped and shivered, then smirked and reached past you to open the window. Once you’d slipped into the warm apartment, the symbiote that was covering you pulled away, and you reached out to brace yourself on the couch, afraid your wobbly legs would give out on you.

Goddamn _tease_.

“STILL COLD, MORSEL?” Venom’s baritone rumble was like distant thunder, and you turned to look at him as he shouldered his way through the window.

“Little bit. Kinda missing my _pants.”  
_

A chuckle left him, and you tilted your head up when he leaned down to kiss you, wicked fangs gently nipping at your lower lip as Venom nudged you backwards towards an armchair. “DIDN’T HEAR YOU COMPLAIN.”

You mustered up a half-hearted glare as he pushed your jacket off your torso before he gave you a final push, the back of your legs hitting the edge of the chair and forcing you to sit down. “I was _distracted_ at the time.”

“DON’T WORRY, WE’LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU,” he purred, dropping to his knees in front of you, tongue lolling as he grasped your knees and spread them, staring at you hungrily for a moment before he leaned in. 

A shudder wound it’s way up your spine, feeling him exhale hot breath against your sex before he gave you a long, purposeful, lick. You couldn’t help but cry out, nails digging into the armchair’s fabric as you threw your head back.

Oral sex with Venom was something literally otherworldly. It was intense and insane and holy shit, there weren’t enough words to describe it. His tongue stretched you as he slid it into you, brushing against your g-spot, the lustful growl that left him vibrating into you and pulling a helpless moan from your throat.

He twisted and turned and wriggled his tongue in you, lapping up your juices, growling and snarling against you, his right hand moving from your knee to place a thumb against your clit. His left hand went under your ass, lifting you, angling you so he could gain better access, and your hips moved on their own, bucking into him, voice rising in a cry when he chuckled and intensified his movements.

Venom tongue-fucked you through your orgasm, lapping and sucking, alternating between hot lashes of his tongue and then sliding that damned organ back into you. You lost your breath, whining, body trembling, as he pushed your over sensitive body though a second, then a third climax.

He stopped when you officially couldn’t breathe anymore, and you whimpered at the final lick he gave you as you went limp, the muscles in your thighs twitching a little.

You were still a little out of it when Venom pulled your unresisting form off the chair and onto his lap, his cock pressing against your abdomen as he forced you to straddle him.

“LOVE HOW YOU TASTE,” he growled into your ear, licking at your cheek before he kissed you, and you moaned, arms wrapping around his neck, tilting your head back when he finally pulled back to let you breathe. Fangs scraped at your throat, hot tongue laving the spot to sooth the sharp feeling, his hands gliding down your back until he could hook his hands under your thighs again. “OKAY, MORSEL?”

You trembled as he lifted you, feeling his cock at your entrance. “Y-yes.”

A loud purr left him as he kissed you again, tongue invading your mouth, the growl that left him as he slowly lowered you onto him making you shudder. He stretched you more than his tongue had, and you gasped a little as his cock slid into you.

“F-Fuck, _Venom!_ ”

He let out a filthy groan, head thrown back as he hilted himself inside you, and you trembled, panting, hiding your face against his shoulder. “THAAAT’S IT, MORSEL,” left him in a hiss as he started thrusting, talons digging into your thighs a little as he helped you keep up by lifting and dropping you onto him. “SO GOOD. PERFECT. _OURS_.”

The feral sounds that left him, along with the slick noises that filled the apartment made something in your abdomen tighten, your hands clawing at his shoulders as you writhed against him. He fucked you through yet another orgasm, the snarl that left him when you clenched around him drowning out your breathless scream.

Over stimulated, you could only cling to him as he kept moving, forcing more pleasure into you, a tendril rubbing against your sensitive clit. Tears gathered at your eyes as you struggled for breath, everything narrowing down to the feeling of Venom’s cock pounding into you.

“ _Please_ ,” you panted, on edge, wanting to feel him come in you, needing that little extra bit. Shuddered when he growled and raked his fangs against your shoulder, his movements turning desperate. “V-Venom–!”

He came with a roar, slamming into you a final time, talons sinking into your hips as he held you down onto him. The feeling of heat flooding into you pushed you over that edge again, muscles pulsing, bright spots dancing across your closed eyes as you climax crashed through you.

It was only Venom’s arms wrapping around you that kept you from slipping off of his lap when you went limp with exhaustion, feeling his hot breath against your neck as he nuzzled at you, lapping at your sweat. 

When you could form a coherent thought again, you managed a weak smile and curled your shaking arms around his neck. “…wow.”

He chuckled, the low baritone vibrating into your chest before he kissed you, gently this time. “WE’LL TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT,” Venom purred, , sliding a hand up and down your back. “BED?”

“Yes, please,” you murmured tiredly, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck when he shifted his grip on you. Venom kept you flush against him as he shifted, effortlessly getting to his feet and moving to carry you to the bedroom.

You were honestly half asleep by the time he tumbled the two of you onto the large bed. He landed on his back, sprawling you on top of him, his left hand dropping to your ass to press you flush to him. You moaned as he rocked his hips, his partially hardened cock slipping as deep into you as it could.

It wasn’t something Venom insisted on often, staying as connected and close to you as he physically could. You knew it was a symbiotic thing - he was bonded to Eddie, yes, but the alien wasn’t used to also caring for someone other than it’s host. Sex and snuggling were as close as he could get to bonding with you too.

So, you didn’t protest. You never protested. Not when Venom held you so close and wrapped you up in a hug, nuzzling at your throat and licking at your pulse, the constant purr that rumbled out of him lulling you.

You merely pressed your hips to his, looping your arms around his neck and kissing his cheek, mumbling a sleepy, sated, “I love you,” before drifting off.

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	28. What Do Demons Fear?

Prompt - Venom Prompt: Eddie and Venom are in a pinch/have a bout of madness when Reader steps in to save the day for once. She gets hurt (whether badly or not too badly) trying to help them but the blood wakes Venom from the haze as she's just thankful that he's okay. Eddie and Venom feel guilty and scold her gently as they swore to never lay hands upon her. Being pampered afterwards by them she just is relieved that she was able to help him for once for how he's saved her many times. -threshprince

 

Hope this is good enough. It kinda descended into angst? When will these characters do what I want them to?!

For some reason, the angst bunny bit me on this one.

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It was amazing how quickly things could go batshit crazy.

It was late, past midnight, and all you and Eddie had wanted was some munchies to continue the movie marathon you’d started three hours ago. You’d started with the original Star Wars, and moved onto some cheesy horror flicks. Halfway through The Thing, you discovered that _someone_ (Venom) had eaten all the snack food in the apartment.

The alien symbiote had no shame or apologies when you’d snarled upon finding the empty Cheetos bags.

So when you’d mentioned to Eddie that you were heading out, he’d insisted on coming with you. It didn’t matter that the twenty-four hour store was only a few blocks away - both he and Venom were endlessly protective of you. It would have driven you screaming up the walls had you not been a little flattered by it.

You and your chaperone had made it to the store while chatting about how special effects had evolved over time and how Hollywood needed to stop remaking the classics. Gathering bags of snacks and a box of Hershey bars Venom - who Eddie said was chanting ‘chocolate’ in his head -  went smoothly. 

Though the two of you garnered angry glances from the shop owner when you’re elbowed each other in an attempt to gain possession of the last bag of pretzels. 

You’d been crowing your victory, pretzels held high, when the door to the shop opened with enough force to bang it against the wall, the glass crackling from the impact.

“Kill the bitch, she’s in the way.”

The barrel of a sawed off shotgun gleamed in the fluorescent lights as the first of three armed thugs walked in. All the blood in your body froze, your stomach bottoming out, didn’t even have time to throw your arms up in the air in a sign of surrender before the man’s finger tightened on the trigger.

A feral roar sounded from behind you, drowning out the blast of the shotgun. You expected to feel the pellets rip into your flesh, but a massive body tackled you to the floor, the blast from the gun catching them in the back.

Trembling, you blinked as Venom rose off of you, the absolutely _livid_ expression on his face making a sliver of fear wash through you. You knew you were safe with him, you _knew_ it, but you’d never seen that amount of _pissed_ on his face before.

He was up and throwing himself at the first robber before you’d managed to suck in a breath, one swipe of a hand catching the man square in the chest. The wicked talons decorating each finger left gouges, cutting through flesh and bone, so deep that you could see the man’s wildly beating _heart_.

His compatriots opened fire, and you crawled behind the cash, curling into a ball as bullets riddled the wall and counter. The owner of the shop was in a similar fetal position near you, a bat blindly waving above his head at if it was some magical implement that would ward off bullets.

You ducked as shots ricocheted off the metal shelving that held the cigarettes behind the counter, crying out when heat sliced into your left upper arm. Blood flowed, the pain indescribable, and you rose your right hand to the source, cursing.

You’d been shot. It was a deep graze, but still. What a wonderful way to end the night. Fuck.

Venom’s angry snarls changed pitch, the sound followed by screaming and horrible wet, meaty, pops. Knowing better than to look, you crawled over to the owner and, avoiding the bat, slapped his shoulder until he looked up at you.  
  
“Call the cops, dumbass!”

More gunfire echoed loudly in the store, only from a single source, so you guessed that the other two were dead. You kept your right hand clenched tight on your bleeding arm, then, using a magazine rack as cover, slowly stood up.

There was a huge pool of blood in front of the counter. A quick glance afforded you a view of a body minus it’s arms and one leg. The one who’d threatened to shoot you was gurgling his last breaths nearby, both arms broken, his shotgun twisted into near unrecognizable slag.

Anger was one thing, but this, this had been done out of _rage._

Frowning, you poked your head out of cover. Other than the two broken forms on the floor, Venom and the last robber were nowhere to be seen. You guessed that the guy had tried to run for it. He wouldn’t get far, not with Venom as livid as he was.

Deciding that things were as safe as they could be, you stepped out of your dubious cover, then looked at the store owner, who was eyeing you warily. 

“Coast is clear,” you murmured to him. “Didja call the cops?”

“Phone’s broken,” he scowled, rising to his feet, bat still clenched in his hands. “Look what you did to my store!”

It took your brain a full three seconds to make sense of that. “ _Me?!_ ”

“You and your nutso boyfriend better pay for this!”

You gaped a him like a fish. “Dude! _Seriously?_ ” Maybe he’d gotten shot in the head and you hadn’t noticed. Tried to get a good look in case that _had_ happened, up until he suddenly grew a pair and walked around the counter to scoop up a fallen pistol.

And now you were at gunpoint again. Joy.

“Look, dude, _I_ didn’t do this! I got _shot_ for fucksakes!” You waggled your bleeding arm at him for emphasis. “And Venom was _protecting_ me! Well, _us_. Though if he comes back and sees you holding a gun to me _I’m_ going to be the least of your concerns.”

He ignored you. “Give me your phone.”

“No.”

“Now!”

Well, now _you_ were getting pissed off. “Fuck you, you crazy fucker you! You want to shoot me, shoot me! And when Venom comes back and finds me dead by your hand, you’re gonna wish these assholes had gotten to you first!”

The gun pointed at you wobbled a little at that, so you pressed on. “Do you not see what he did? Take a good, long, look. _That’s_ what’s going to happen to _you_ unless you put that gun down, right now! Because I’ve never seen Venom this pissed off before, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop him from _gutting_ you if he sees you holding a gun to me! So, put it the fuck down!”

There was a low, drawn out, snarl from behind you. “WE INSIST.”

Naturally, the shop owner made things a hundred times worse by firing. You ducked with a yelp as the shot went wide, the bullet hitting one of the ceiling lights, sending glass raining down on you. Venom lunged forward with a roar, talons outstretched, and it was only because the owner slipped on a pool of congealing blood and fell to his ass that he managed to, literally, keep his head.

“Venom! Venom, stop!” Fearing for the idiot store owner’s life - because he _was_ an idiot - you ran forward and grabbed Venom’s right arm, trying to hold him back. Got a shove in the chest as a result, his talons slicing into your shirt and skin as he pushed you away, and you cried out at the new pain, stumbling backwards.

That cry might as well have been a bucket of ice water, because Venom froze, that same hand outstretched to grab the store owner. Those pale eyes locked onto his own talons and your blood on them, before Venom turned to look at you, the rage on his face turning to horror when he saw the fresh blood staining your shirt.

If he could have paled upon seeing the fear on your face, he would have.

“NO, NO, NO!” Abandoning the owner, Venom rushed to your side, hands hovering an inch above your torn shirt, where his talons had scored diagonal gashes from your shoulder down across your breasts to your ribs. “WE DIDN’T– WE DIDN’T MEAN TO!”

The hysterical yell made you wince, the panic on Venom’s face letting you know that the fog of anger had finally left him. “I’m o-okay,” you told him, prodding at your chest. It stung, but none of the marks were deep enough to even require stitches. You’d cut yourself worse while shaving your legs.

It took everything not flinch away when Venom rose a hand to cup the side of your face. “Bring me home? I want to go home.”

You probably could have asked for the moon at that point and he would have brought it to you. “HOME. YES. WE’LL BRING YOU HOME.”

The trip back to the apartment was done in record time. He spent the few minutes constantly checking on you, panic and horror written on his face the entire way. Only when the two of you were safely through the open window and in the living-room did Venom release you, setting you on your feet before ripping at your shirt.

“H-Hey!” Even though it was nothing he hadn’t seen before, you still tried to cover yourself as he shredded your top and bra, the worried expression on his face crumpling further when he saw the red, slightly bleeding, marks on your bare skin. 

“OH. OH, _MORSEL_ , WE– WE NEVER MEANT–” He moved into your personal space, hands rising to frame your face as he leaned down to press his forehead to yours, an alien noise close to a keen whining out of his throat.

A tired sigh left you as you closed your eyes. “Did you mean to?”

Venom recoiled as if you’d had a flamethrower aimed at him. “ _NO!_ NEVER! _NEVER!_ ”

“…then I forgive you.”

“MORSEL…”

“It was an accident, right?” When he nodded, sullenly, you sighed again and reached up to touch his cheek, hearing his pained rumble as he leaned his face into your palm, his hands clutching at your shoulders. “Then help me patch up and let’s go to bed. I’m not really in the movie-watching mood anymore.

Venom was as sullen and withdrawn as you’d ever seen. Didn’t utter a single word as he fetched the first aid kit from the bathroom and helped you bandage your arm and the deepest of the cuts across your chest. He even extended little symbiotic tendrils to pluck tiny pieces of glass out of your hair.

But, every now and again, a pained noise would leave him, and you’d catch him staring at the deep scratches on your skin.

Finally, when you couldn’t stand to see him beat himself up anymore, you took his right hand and rose to your face, pressing a kiss to his palm while holding his gaze, calm, even with those wicked talons close to you again. “Venom, it was an _accident_. This doesn’t change anything between us, okay? I still trust you. I still love you.”

A massive sigh of relief left him, “WE LOVE YOU, TOO. MORE THAN ANYTHING. WE ALMOST LOST YOU, AND WE– LOST CONTROL.”

“I know. I’m just glad you’re okay. You scared me for a moment. I’ve seen you angry, but–”

He shook his head. “WE WEREN’T ANGRY. WE WERE _SCARED_. IF WE HADN’T BEEN FAST ENOUGH–” Venom hissed and clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing into slits. “THAT ROBBER WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU. SEEING THAT OTHER MAN HOLDING A GUN TO YOU… WE CAN’T RISK LOSING YOU, MORSEL. NO MATTER THE COST, WE HAVE TO KEEP YOU _SAFE._ ”

You blinked, then threw your good arm around his neck in a hug, closing your eyes when he returned the embrace, desperately. “I’m safe with _you_ ,” you murmured to him, finally feeling the tension leech out of him, as if he’d needed to hear the words. Hell, he probably had. “Let’s go to bed, hm?”

A rumble of acknowledgement left him as Venom scooped you up, cradling you to his chest as he carried you to the bedroom. You didn’t protest when he sat you down on the edge of the bed and knelt to pull off your sneakers and jeans, haphazardly tossing them aside before he nudged you onto the mattress.

Once he’d joined you, Venom pulled you as close as possible, tendrils coiling around your arms, legs and hips, spreading out until you were nestled in alien warmth. One of his hands, talons now dulled, splayed across your back, the other lightly stroking your hair.

You sighed and wrapped your arms around him, hugging him as strongly as you could before lightly brushing your lips across his fangs. It seemed to be the reaction he was waiting for, because the next thing you knew, he had captured your mouth, pouring relief and desperation and hunger into the kiss.

“WE LOVE YOU, MORSEL,” Venom purred, leaning his forehead to yours as he licked at your lips. 

You smiled and snuggled into him. “I love you, too.”

The purr ratcheted up a notch until you could feel it vibrate out of his chest, and you sighed as he shifted so your head was neatly tucked under his chin. Lulled by the low rumble that was leaving him, and the feeling of safety, you closed you eyes and let sleep claim you.

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	29. Second Chances

Prompt - May I ask for a drabble in which Eddie/Venom are about to do something unsavory to a robber in a convenience store (definitely not taken from the trailer) and a passerby stands up to them, calmly asking them to let the man answer to justice? Then Venom is curious as to why this person isn't acting scared and asks them a few days later. The rest is up to you!

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You’d just popped in to grab a couple of portions of instant noodles for supper when some moron decided to hold up the store you were in.

Sigh.

It was sad that you were used to this by now. But it wasn’t as if you were living in the nicest part of the City. Rent was always cheaper where the crime rate was higher.

So, you hunkered down, staying out of sight, hoping that the cashier wouldn’t do something stupid to get themselves shot. Heard the robber demand cash and cigarettes - really, did these fools have the same script writer? - and threatening to ‘put a cap in their ass’ - again, _so_ cliche - if they didn’t hurry up.

You mourned the taser that you’d left charging at home.

Everything was happening as it usually did - babbling, incoherent semi-sobbing from the young cashier included - when a low, unearthly, _snarl_ , filled the store.

Okay, _that_ was new.

There came the sounds of a scuffle. Lots of terrified swearing from the robber, along with gunshots, and a high pitched scream from the cashier. You crawled over to the end of the isle and poked your head out, blinking at the _huge_ black and white form that was advancing on the robber.

You’d read about Venom, of course. Everyone in the City knew about him. The ‘Demon of San Francisco’. You took the News with a grain of salt - every report had been about him killing or hurting bad guys - rapists, murderers, robbers. No innocent grandmas had ever been harmed, so much as you knew.

Looking at the robber that was backing away from Venom - young, (if he was even _close_ to twenty you were a millionaire) wearing baggy jeans and a hoodie - you felt pity. He was young and stupid. You’d had experience with young and stupid boys in your life. Your brother hadn’t been stupid enough to hold up a store, but he’d done his fair share of idiotic things.

Your eyes narrowed when Venom swiped the gun out of the young man’s hand, crushing the cheap weapon in a massive fist. His free hand reached out to close around the kid’s throat, squeezing tight, lifting the idiot up off his feet and pulling him close, a low, amused, chuckle escaping Venom as he snapped his fangs in the would-be robber’s face.

The smell of urine caught your nose, and you grimaced. The poor kid had wet himself.

When Venom started talking about decorating the store with his entrails, you decided that enough was enough.

Hopefully your assumption that Venom only hurt bad guys wasn’t something out of left field, because you were about to do something extraordinarily stupid.

“Don’t kill him.”

Those pale, pupil-less, eyes turned to you as you rose up out of your crouch, hands clenching tight on your instant ramen noodle packages. You felt like a deer in the headlights, with death zooming towards you.

Venom merely stared at you, and you mentally kicked yourself, trying to keep your voice stable. “He’s just some dumb kid. _Look_ at him, he’s probably still in high school, for fuck’s sake. He’s an idiot, yeah, but he doesn’t deserve to _die_ because of it. You’ve scared the hell out of him, it’s enough. Let the cops and his folks deal with him.”

He frowned at you for a moment before turning that alien gaze onto the boy in his grip, who was struggling weakly, gasping for air, a blue tint to his lips. Distantly, you could hear sirens approaching, and a glance towards the cash showed that an old telephone cord was stretched down behind the counter where the cashier was huddling.

“IT’S YOUR LUCKY DAY,” Venom growled, giving the kid a rough shake. “THOUGH WE DO LIKE TO MAKE OUR MESSAGE CLEAR. WE CATCH YOU AGAIN, LITTLE ROBBER, WE KILL YOU. UNDERSTAND?”

You looked away with a grimace when Venom broke the kid’s right arm, dropping the boy in distaste when he started to dry heave from the pain. The teen landed in the puddle of his own urine, clutching at his broken arm that flopped unnaturally, and you gulped when Venom turned his attention back to you.

Whatever he was going to say or do was cut off by the arrival of a police car, those wicked fangs grimacing as Venom turned and lunged out of the main entrance. Yells and gunfire from the cops outside followed his exit, and only when he was truly gone did you exhale the breath you’d been holding.

A policeman ran in, gun drawn. Looked from you to the teen on the floor to the cashier that was slowly rising to her feet and back again before holstering his weapon.

It was another hour before you were allowed to leave. You’d given your statement, three times, to three different officers, been scowled at when you refused to give your contact info, and had to wait for the cashier to calm down from her hysterics for her to tell the cops that you’d been a mere bystander, before you were finally allowed to leave - without your instant ramen noodles.

God dammit.

Mildly pissed, and still hungry, you headed home. You’d really been craving those noodles. Maybe you had a can of soup or Alpha-ghetti in the cupboard that would tide you over until you could do a proper grocery.

Days passed. You put the incident at the store behind you, focusing on your day-to-day life. Hoped that the kid - who had been arrested and taken to the hospital for treatment - had been scared straight, because you were under the impression that Venom wasn’t one to flinch on his promises.

It wasn’t until a week later that you ran into Venom again.

Well, ‘ran into’ was kind of a broad term.

It was late evening, and you were walking home from a long double-shift at the restaurant you waitressed at, when something hit you on the back, wrapping around your waist. You wobbled a little from the impact, then screamed when you were yanked up off your feet. The ground fell away, and you struggled a little out of panic as you were hauled up to the rooftop.

Venom carefully set you onto your feet on the flat shingled roof, and you stood, there, shaking in a mix of fright and sheer indignation at being plucked up like some misbehaving kitten, before you found your voice.

“What the _fuck?!_ ” You took some solace in the surprise that flitted across Venom’s face before placing a hand over your heart, certain that it was going to burst out of your chest. “Just… what the _fuck?!_ Jesus Christ, you scared the hell out of me! You can’t just go around pluckin’ people off the street like that!” 

He chuckled. He actually fucking chuckled. And you wondered if you were strong enough to drop-kick him off the roof in retaliation. 

“YOU’RE A FEISTY LITTLE NIBBLE, AREN’T YOU?” Another rumbling laugh left him when you glared at him, though you doubted you were very intimidating in your waitressing outfit. God, you wished you were wearing pants instead of a skirt.

A tired sigh left you, and you ran a hand through your mussed up hair, trying to gather your wits about you. “Just… what do you want?”

Those pale eyes locked onto you again, and you felt some ancestral mouse-like part of you start screaming in horror. You locked your knees to keep them from shaking.

“WE’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU.” Oh goody. “WE WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING.”

“O-okay?”

He moved in, invading your personal space, and crouched a little to be closer to eye level with you. “WHY DID YOU STOP US?”

You blinked. “What?”

“THAT FILTH WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU, SHOT YOU, GIVEN THE CHANCE. BUT YOU STOPPED US. WHY?”

The demanding, confused, tone of his voice made you blink again. “Because he was just a kid. Kids do stupid things all the time. Especially boys. Puberty makes them stupid, makes them think they’re invincible and smarter than everyone one else around them. He needed a _lesson_ not a death sentence.”

Venom tilted his head at you, curiously. “AND SO YOU THOUGHT HE DESERVED A SECOND CHANCE.”

You didn’t like the tone of his voice. Felt like you were treading on a knife’s edge. “Yes.”

“WHY?”

“Personal experience.” At his expectant look, you frowned, hesitating a moment before squaring your shoulders and glaring at him. “My brother did a lot of stupid shit when he was a kid. If a cop hadn’t scared him straight he’d have been dead at sixteen. So, yeah, I’m all for second chances. It saved my brother. There’s no reason why it couldn’t save that kid too!”

He held your gaze for a long moment, blinking at your outburst. Then, to your utter surprise, a low, baritone, _laugh_ left him, all the menacing posturing from him vanishing with his mirth. “BRAVE LITTLE MORSEL! WE LIKE YOU.”

“…yay?”

“HERE.” There was a rustling of plastic before a bag was pushed into your hands.

You blinked and looked down, staring at the bag full of instant ramen noodle packages. Enough to last you a week, at least. Obviously he’d never been upset to begin with if he’d brought you food. This had been some sort of weird test. “Thanks? I mean, you didn’t have to do this.”

“THEY DIDN’T LET YOU LEAVE WITH YOUR FOOD. EDDIE SAID WE SHOULD FIX THAT.” So, he’d been watching the store after he’d made his exit. Great.

 _God_ , you had a headache. 

Still. “Who’s ‘Eddie’?”

You became witness to an odd sight as half of Venom’s face peeled away, showing a human man beneath. Felt a blush warm you when the man winked at you before Venom’s odd visage reformed with a smug smirk. 

And holy shit, you’d seen him before! At work. Three Cheese Ravioli with meat sauce, hold the garlic bread and, “How the fuck long have you two been trailing me?”

A massive shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. “EDDIE FOUND YOU BY ACCIDENT AT THE RESTAURANT. HE MADE US WAIT UNTIL YOU WERE ALONE TO TALK TO YOU.”

He seemed completely unrepentant about literally stalking you. But then again, you had serious doubts about Venom being wholly human, so there was no telling what rules he played by. Either he was half alien, or a lab experiment or something equally odd that made this the weirdest episode of the Outer Limits  ever produced.

You weren’t sure what expression was on your face while you were digesting everything, but it pulled another low rumble from Venom.

“WE’D NEVER HURT YOU, LITTLE ONE,” Venom told you, his voice so gentle that you didn’t think it possible that it was coming from behind those wicked fangs. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AFRAID.”

“I’m more overwhelmed than afraid at this point,” you countered with a tired quirk of your lips. “Also, it’s cold up here.”

“OH. OH! WE’LL TAKE YOU HOME THEN!” 

You yelped a bit as you were scooped up, one strong arm curled around your waist to hold you to a massive, muscled, chest. You debated struggling a little, but gave up. Even the Jaws of fucking Life wouldn’t be able to get you loose at this point. “You don’t even know where I live!”

“YOU CAN TELL US ALONG THE WAY, MORSEL.“

“Along the way? What, ‘along the way’?” You blinked as Venom rose his free arm, some sort of webbing shot out from the back of his clenched fist, arcing across the street to attach to a far off building. 

“Please don’t jump off the roof,” left you in a tiny voice.

He ignored you .“HOLD TIGHT, NIBBLE,” Venom grinned, before, predictably, jumping off the roof. Gravity took hold, and you were certain you were going to die by smashing into the ground, but that so-thin web pulled taught, and then Venom was swinging the two of you up and around an intersection at a speed usually reserved for fighter pilots.

Your voice was probably heard three blocks away. “ _Jesus tap-dancing Christ!_ ”

Venom’s endlessly amused laughter rumbled into your ear you all the way home.

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	30. Scars (Mentions of Self-Harm)

Prompt - Hey,I've been have a shit time with my own depression & self-esteem & your Venom works have been helping me a lot. Could you maybe do a Venom/Eddie Brock one with reader battling old self-harm demons but finally has someone in her life that gives a crap about the fresh burn marks she puts on her skin? I know self-harm comes in many forms but I use to burn(and tear off the scabs)b/c it's a constant pain till it scars.

WARNING - Mentions of depression and self-harm.

* * *

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It had been a while since you’d felt the urge, the pull, to self harm. Medications and therapy helped, of course, but they weren’t a miracle cure. Depression was a cloud over your head, sometimes it was deceptively fluffy and white, others, dark, like a brewing storm, but it was always _there_. Always looming.

But, you’d had a bad day. It had been a series of little, small, inconsequential things that had piled up into a mountain of shit that you just weren’t prepared to deal with. It had left you on edge, nerves frayed and mood getting lower by the moment. 

You’d ducked behind a bus shelter, taking a final inhalation of your cigarette before grinding the glowing ember out on the inside of your right arm.

The sharp, searing, pain was like a balm, releasing the tension that had been building up inside you, like a rubber band stretched too tight. It wasn’t something describable to other people - they always looked down at the marks on your arms, as if they made you someone… _less_ than.

As if they weren’t anything except a way for you survive for another day.

Relief flooded you, and the second cigarette you lit was for pleasure. A few people glanced at you, and you stared them down challengingly, daring them to say anything, especially with your arm still in full view.

When your bus arrived, you quickly put it out against your arm again, then tugged your jacket sleeve down to cover the new and healing marks, not wanting to put up with any pitying looks on the way home. The entire bus ride home felt like people were staring, and you clenched your jaw, trying to stay calm, at least outwardly.

Finally, _finally_ , the bus reached your block, and you sighed in relief as you disembarked, rolling your shoulders to ease the knots of tension there. Sighing, you shoved your hands into your pockets, ducked your head, and headed for your apartment building.

“Babe?”

The voice made your gaze dart up from the sidewalk beneath your feet, a small smile tugging at your lips. “Hey, you.”

Eddie Brock leaned down to press a kiss to your cheek before curling an arm around your shoulders. “Hey, back,” he murmured, tucking you up against his side. “You okay?”

You’d long ago told Eddie about your fight against your depression and your self-harming. He’d actually listened, calmly, asking some questions, letting you answer them at your own time, at your own speed. Hadn’t judged, hadn’t called you a freak, had just _listened_. 

It had honestly shocked you. 

Now, you felt calm about admitting things to him. About opening up to him, even on your worst days. Even about letting him know when you _couldn’t_ talk about it.

“Long day,” you murmured, leaning into him, the smell of his aftershave making you smile. You didn’t flinch when the ‘collar’ of his jacket moved, shifting black, a tendril rising to touch your cheek. “Hi, Venom.”

Eddie had his own secrets that he’d been hesitant about telling you. Mainly about the alien symbiote that he was bonded with. It had thrown you through some loops, and you’d honestly debated breaking up with him - them? - before Venom had properly introduced himself. _That_ had been surprising and a little terrifying, but you’d learned that both he and Eddie were serious about being in a relationship with you, that they would do anything to keep you happy and safe.

Now, five months into the relationship, the two of you were sharing an apartment. With Eddie living with you, it had been unavoidable that he’d see the scars and burns on your arms. But he never gave you a lecture, not one look of disgust or pity. Simply allowed you to vent what was in your head while he carefully bandaged new and healing burns.

“Wanna talk about it?” Eddie murmured back, turning his head to press a kiss to the top of your head.

“Not really. Wanna order a pizza and watch a movie?”

“Sure.” He walked you into the apartment building and to the elevator, turning towards you once the doors slid closed, smiling as he slid a hand into your hair and tilted your face up to meet his kiss. The symbiote reached out, coiling tendrils around your waist, tugging you closer, and you smiled a bit as you wrapped your arms around Eddie. “Better?”

“Better,” you admitted, quirking an eyebrow when you felt the symbiote send some of itself up under the sleeves of your jacket, fluttering against the new burns on the inside of your arm. “Tattle tale.”

Eddie chuckled a little. “Venom worries. Also, it wants to kill whoever made you so overwhelmed.”

“Wasn’t anyone. Just a lot of little things that went wrong all at once.” You winced a little. “I’m sorry, I–”

“Shh.” Eddie silenced you by brushing his thumb across your lips. “You don’t have to apologize. We _understand._ Or, at least, we try to.”

“I know. I just… know it’s a lot. To deal with.” You glanced away, learned shame rising in you, before Eddie leaned down to brush his lips over yours. You took the invitation, kissing him, sighing as he cupped your face in his hands. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes, you do.” The elevator came to a stop, and Eddie made a show of scooping you into his arms and carrying you over to the apartment, the symbiote reaching out with the key to unlock and nudge the door open.

“You gonna put me down?” you drawled, rolling your eyes when he grinned and carried you over to the couch, setting you down with a flourish. “You’re weird.”

Eddie laughed. “Generally, yes. Get that coat off, we’ll go get the bandages.”

Nervous, but knowing that Eddie and Venom wouldn’t judge you, ever, you shucked out of your jacket, wincing a little when the material tugged at the fresh burns. Looking down at your arms, at the healed, puckered, marks, and the newer blackened scabs, you sighed, self loathing rising in you again. Goddamn it, why couldn’t you be _normal?_

“Stop it.” 

You jerked your head up, blinking at Eddie, who was giving you a stern look as he rejoined you, carrying a box of band-aids and some polysporin. “We know that look. Quit berating yourself.”

“I’m fucked in the head, how can I not?”

“You’re fighting depression the only way you can,” he soothed as he sat on the coffee table in front of you, meeting your gaze quietly. “You’re stronger than you think.”

A sigh left you. “I don’t feel strong. A strong person shouldn’t have to do… _this._ ” You held your arms out, letting him see the scars and fresh burns on your skin.

“You do what you have to do to survive,” Eddie told you firmly, reaching out to cup your arms in his hands, thumbs lightly ghosting over your scars. “If it means gaining a few new scars so you can see tomorrow and the day after that, then so be it.”

You nodded, silently. Watched as he put polysporin onto the newest burns before covering them with band-aids. After, Eddie tugged you closer and hugged you, and you sighed as you leaned into him, closing your eyes and tucking your face against his neck.

Knew when Venom took over just by the long tongue that licked at your cheek, and you shivered at the low rumble that sounded in your ear. “Hi Venom.”

“HELLO, MORSEL.” Fangs nipped at your shoulder, and you felt his hands slide down your back, talons lightly pricking you through your shirt. “LONG DAY?”

“Yeah.” You nuzzled into him, hearing his low, rumbling, purr as he picked you up, lifting you and then turning to sit on the couch, setting you on his lap. “Eddie helps. You help.”

Venom tucked you close, one hand rising to stroke your hair. “GOOD.” 

Relaxing, more than you’d managed on your own, you rest your cheek against his shoulder, closing your eyes again. “Can we just… sit here for a bit?”

A happy sort of murring noise left him as he tilted his head to the side to rest his cheek against your head. “OF COURSE, NIBBLE,” Venom rumbled, hugging you close, symbiote tendrils coiling around you, nestling you in warmth.

It wasn’t perfect, and you still had to fight against the lies your own brain told you on a daily basis, but coming home to Eddie and Venom, to people who cared and didn’t judge you on how you managed to survive… that made things at least bearable.

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	31. Happy Birthday

Prompt - I just went through a big breakup so do you think you could do something super fluffy when you have the time maybe? I don’t really have a prompt just fluffy Venom stuff?

* * *

 

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You’d had a long day. Made longer by the fact that it was your birthday. This… wouldn’t have been such an issue if you hadn’t been hounded by fake people at work. There had a short, ten minute party, with cheap, store bought cake, and some horrible alcohol-free punch that tasted like battery acid and fake Kool-Aid.

You’d smiled and thanked people that you never saw outside of work, mustered up laughs at stupid jokes and managed not to kill Brian from Accounting when he’d thrown confetti at you.

Returning to your desk had been a balm, and after spending an exorbitant amount of time picking confetti out of your hair, you’d put your headphones back in and went back to work.

Three pm had never looked so good. You’d taken the back way, down ten flights of stairs, just to avoid any more transparently fake birthday wishes from even faker people that probably couldn’t pick you out of a police line-up.

The only real person you wanted to interact with on this day was your boyfriend. Well perhaps, _boyfriends_ was a better term. Though, terminology when dealing with someone bonded to an alien symbiote got a little difficult. Still, both Eddie and Venom actually cared about you, more than you could say about the people at work.

Eddie had asked you not to arrive at the apartment you shared with him until four, which gave you enough time to stop and treat yourself to some new clothes - not the boring ‘work casual’ stuff you were wearing either. You mourned the inability to go into the bookstore - but not knowing what Eddie had bought you reinforced your drive to avoid the pull of new books.

You reached the apartment at three-fifty-nine on the dot, glad to be home and looking forward to kicking off the heels you were wearing. Slid the key into the lock, opened the door, and paused at the scene in front of you.

Eddie was standing in the kitchen cooking something on the stove. Which wouldn’t have been so odd had half a dozen symbiote tendrils not been extending from his back, Venom clearly at work tacking streamers and a big ‘Happy Birthday’ sign to the ceiling.

Both froze at your entrance.

“You’re early!”

A laugh left you at Eddie’s panicked tone. “Want me to go out and come back in?”

“YES.”

The man swatted at one of the symbiote ‘stalks’ that were still frozen in mid-air. “We’re not making her wait in the hallway,” Eddie muttered, back in control of his voice. 

“I could hide in the bedroom until you’re ready,” you offered, smiling at the look of sheer relief he gave you.

“Please? We’re almost done.”

One of the symbiotic stalks rippled a little, Venom’s head appearing from it. “SHE ALREADY SAW EVERYTHING, WHAT’S THE POINT?”

“It’s a birthday thing,” you grinned, stepping into the apartment proper, closing the door behind you before finally, _finally_ , kicking off your shoes. Venom grumbled, the alien still learning about ‘weird human customs’. You dreaded having to explain Christmas to him. Or worse, Easter. Though he’d probably only care about the chocolate.

You paused to kiss both of them on their respective cheeks, then padded to the bedroom, nudging the door shut with your foot. Changing out of your stuffy work clothes and into some jeans and a tee shirt felt like heaven, and while you hated the dress pants, blouse and blazer you had been wearing, you were careful to hang them up properly, checking for dirt or stains, before deeming them good enough for another wear. Dry cleaners were expensive. If the outfit wasn’t smelly or dirty, it got an extra wear or two.

Changed, feeling more like yourself, you flopped down onto the bed, stretching out with a happy groan. Picked your phone up from where you’d tossed it onto your pillow and idly checked Facebook. Answered a dozen ‘happy birthday’ messages from family and actual friends, did the same on Twitter, then played Candy Crush until a soft knock at the bedroom door caught your attention.

“Am I allowed to venture forth now?” you drawled jokingly, laughing at Eddie when opened the door and stuck his tongue out at you.

“Y’know, we could just skip supper…” he smirked back, waggling his eyebrows at you suggestively.

“Except you made me food and it smells awesome and I’ve been sitting here starving the entire time.” You added a theatrical pout for effect.

“Oh, poor you.” Snickering, he held a hand out to you, and you took it, grinning as he tugged you into a hug. “Want us to sing you happy birthday?”

“Normally I’d say yes, but not right now. I had enough of that at work.”

“Ah, yes. The ever so fun ‘birthday party’ excuse for everyone to avoid work for a time. Did you have cake?”

“It was cake _shaped_. The icing could have been used as drywall repair paste.”

“Ew.”

“It was more palatable than the punch. Also, Nancy from Billing spent half an hour roaming the cubicles just saying ‘cake’ like a zombie. I think she’s hiding Whiskey in her desk again. Which would have been preferable to the punch.”

Eddie laughed, then dropped a kiss onto your forehead. “Poor you.”

“I know.” You went limp a little in his arms, throwing a hand up to your head in a dramatic flourish, like one of those damsels in the old movies. “I’ve suffered _horribly._ ”

Shaking his head at your theatrics - though his grin let you know he was highly amused - Eddie poked you in the ribs where you were ticklish, then, when you tried to wriggle away, scooped you into his arms and carried you out of the bedroom. “C’mon, your supper’s getting cold.”

“What’d you make me?”

“Food.” He snickered at the unimpressed look you have him. “Your favorite.”

Your favorite was your mother’s homemade lasagna, and you quirked an eyebrow at him in askance.

“We may have contacted her and gotten the recipe from her,” Eddie told you, chuckling a little afterwards. “She emailed us _detailed instructions_ on how to make it, with the order that you have to tell her if we failed or not.”

“You brave, brave man. The last time someone asked Mom for one of her recipes she whacked them in the head with a ladle.”

“Yes, well, we’re safe until she visits next month.” You stared at him as he gently set you down onto a chair at the kitchen table. “She said she wants to meet the man brave enough to date you.”

“Oh, ‘hah’. Thank you, Mom.” Huffing a little, you eyed the lit candles on the table for a moment before your gaze slid over to the glass pan that held the lasagna. It _smelled_ so good. Like home. 

And Eddie - and Venom - they were home too. 

You felt immeasurably cared for as Eddie served you, then himself. Laughed a bit when Venom made another appearance, forming it’s head and neck on another stalk, fangs biting deep into a piece of lasagna, and, incidentally, half the serving spoon.

“Dude, c’mon. You said you’d behave!” Eddie growled as the symbiote delicately spat out the piece of plastic it had eaten, sending it flying across the kitchen to land noisily in the sink.

“WHAT?” Venom tried and failed to look innocent. “I WAS HUNGRY.”

“I was going to let you have the leftovers!”

“…OH.”

You snickered. Did you best to stay quiet when Eddie shot you a long-suffering look. Managed to keep a straight face for all of three seconds, then, at Venom’s knowing smirk, burst out laughing.

Eddie rolled his eyes at you, though his lips quirked a little. “You’re a horrible influence on her.”

“ME?”

“I don’t need his influence. I can manage well enough on my own, thank you very much,” you told him haughtily, taking a bite of your meal.

The rest of supper was a mix of laughter and verbal jousting and joking between the three of you. It was nice. Relaxing. You didn’t have to pretend you were someone else with Eddie, or Venom. You could be _yourself_. After the annoyances at work, it was just what you needed.

Barely managed to snag a second portion before Venom upended the pan into his maw. Laughed again when Eddie whacked the symbiote with the remainder of the serving spoon, the alien hissing and flicking the man in the head with a tendril.

Still, the food was excellent. You’d have to send your mother a good review. It would make things easier on Eddie when the woman came to visit - she was endlessly picky about your boyfriends.

Oh, lord. Boyfriends. You’d have to make Venom promise to stay hidden. Otherwise your mother would go ballistic.

Shaking your head to reorient your thoughts, you polished off your lasagna, mourned that all the leftovers were gone, and wondered if you could bride Eddie into cooking again sometime soon. 

The sudden lack of sight made you jerk, raising your hands to touch the bit of symbiote that was covering your eyes. “Guys?”

“Just a sec, babe.” You heard Eddie move around to your left, near the fridge. Heard the click of a lighter and Venom’s disgruntled grumble before you sensed the man step to your side and put something down onto the table in front of you.

Could tell from the slight wash of heat that there were more candles involved, which meant a cake. At least it wouldn’t be something as horrid at what you’d had to eat at work.

“READY, MORSEL?” Venom waited until you nodded before pulling away, and you blinked at the bright return of vision before focusing on the beautiful cake in front of you. Double layered Black Forest Cake, your favorite. With white icing and lots of maraschino cherries on top.

And there were enough candles to set the apartment on fire.

“How old do you think I am?” you laughed, shoving at Eddie playfully where he was still standing beside you.

His eyes sparkled. “What was it you said once? It’s not the age, it’s the mileage?”

“Dude!” You scooped some icing onto a finger and mushed it onto Eddie’s face. “There. Meanie.”

“IS THIS ONE OF THOSE ‘FOOD FIGHT’ THINGS?” Venom asked curiously, his head bobbing on Eddie’s shoulder, the symbiote staying far away from the flames, no matter how small they were.

Horrified, Eddie flicked the symbiote in the forehead with his fingers. “No! There will be no throwing of food!”

You snickered, then picked up a clean fork and tried the cake, humming a nearly pornographic moan at the taste. “Ohmigod, this is _so good_.”

Venom purred. “OH, WE LIKE THAT NOISE. THAT’S A GOOD NOISE.”

“Down boy,” Eddie chuckled, and you took a moment to blow the candles out so the symbiote didn’t have to be wary of the small flames anymore.

Smiling, you used a knife to cut a piece for Eddie, then another for Venom, who greedily grabbed it in some tendrils and shoved it into his mouth, licking at his fangs afterwards. Cake eaten, the symbiote vanished into Eddie again, leaving the man to retake his seat across from you.

After, when you were done helping Eddie put the rest of the cake away - you doubted it would last. Not with Venom and his chocolate obsession - Eddie nudged you towards the living-room, and you blinked when you saw the small pile of gifts on the coffee table. 

“What did you do?” you asked, sending a curious look his way. 

“Just a couple of things. Nothing fancy.” He took your hand and tugged you after him, and you rolled your eyes as you followed, smiling when a black tendril extruded from Eddie’s arm to curl around your wrist.

More of the symbiote reached out to wrap around your waist and torso as you and Eddie took a seat on the couch, and you lightly caressed some of the alien’s mass, feeling Venom ripple a little against you. “What did you two do?”

“Nothing.” Eddie’s smile looked a little too innocent as he gently pushed the first of three  presents into your hands. “Open it.”

Curious, you did as told. Discovered that he’d bought you the eReader that you’d been eyeing for a month but thought too expensive. You thought that was more than enough, but dutifully opened the last two - a gift card to start your ebook collection and, a gorgeous new leather messenger bag to replace your old work one. “Eddie… You shouldn’t have.”

He shrugged and gave you a warm smile. “We like spoiling you,” he murmured as he leaned in, raising a hand to gently tilt your face towards his so he could kiss you. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you. Both of you.”

Grinning, Eddie hauled you onto his lap, and you shifted until you were straddling him. “So, better than your work party?” he asked with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around you, chuckling when you rolled your eyes at him.

“It doesn’t even compare.”

“Good.” He kissed you again, and you melted into him, humming happily. “Venom wants to see you, that okay?”

“You know it is.” You leaned back, watching, endlessly enthralled by the transformation as the symbiote rose up to envelop Eddie. His body grew, shifted, pale eyes forming before the rows of grinning fangs, taloned hands gripping your hips. “Hi, hun.”

Venom smirked. Didn’t both talking, just cupped the side of your face in one large hand and ducked his head to kiss you, invading your mouth with his tongue. The hungry growl that rumbled out of him and spilled into your mouth made you shiver, and you blinked dazedly as he pulled back with a satisfied grin.

“WE CAN’T EXACTLY WALK INTO A STORE TO BUY YOU SOMETHING,” Venom grumbled, before tilting his head to look at you. “BUT EDDIE SUGGESTED THAT WE BRING YOU WEB SLINGING. MAYBE OUT TO THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE?”

“That sounds perfect. And I don’t need you to buy me anything.” You curled your arms around his neck and hugged him, hearing his pleased rumble as he returned the embrace. “Having you and Eddie here, in my life, is more than enough. Okay?”

He purred, deeply, and nuzzled the side of your neck, playfully nipping at your ear lobe. “OF COURSE, MORSEL.” One large hand slid up your back to cup the back of your head, talons sliding into your hair. “SO. WEBSLINGING?”

“Let me get my coat.”

.

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	32. I Don't Have Issues, I Have Subscriptions (Sequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events)

Prompt - Prompt - Second question is there a part two venom and reader fanfic where the reader locks herself out? What happens afterwards? Does the reader meet venom agin? And if so could you link me the part or just direct me to the page Thank you in advance!

This is a Sequel to '[A Series of Unfortunate Events](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37239605)', Chapter 5 of this prompt collection.

* * *

 

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You were cold. Didn’t know San Francisco could get cold, but then again, you’d never spent the night outside in your pyjamas before. Spent ten minutes trying to pick the lock with a bobby pin you’d found on the ground, then, when it snapped, spent another five swearing like a sailor.

Now, you were pacing the front of the building, limping due to the cut on your left foot, back and forth, hands rubbing up and down your bare arms to try to warm yourself, muttering lowly about your opinion of Venom, locked doors, and your own stupidity.

“Fall out the window while yelling at a Venom,” you grumbled under your breath. “Try to be a hero. Brilliant fucking idea numbnuts. Fucking hell I’m cold. Why couldn’t Venom just bring me back up to my apartment?”

You took another step, and felt gum squish under your bare foot. Paused, closed your eyes, took a long breath, then started swearing again. Hopped over to the apartment steps and sat down, using the broken bobby pin to scrape the disgusting thing off the ball of your right foot. “Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross! _OW!_ Goddamnit!”

Now you had a piece of a bobby pin embedded in your foot.

Sigh.

Now you needed a tetanus shot.

Wrenching the slim piece of metal out of your flesh pulled another curse from you, and you watched a bit of blood well up and drip down your foot, spattering on the sidewalk. Growling, you ripped the rest of the gum off your foot and threw it at a parked car, smirking spitefully when it stuck to the driver’s side window.

Now, with your foot sending pain signals up your leg, your mood sufficiently destroyed, and goosebumps spreading across every bit of bare skin, all you wanted was to curl up and crawl into the deepest hole possible.

Lacking a deep hole to crawl into, you unwound some gauze from your left foot, eyed the wound from when you’d stepped on some glass earlier in the night, then ripped the length of gauze in half and proceeded to wrap up both feet.

Wounds dressed, you lowered your head into your hands, fingers gripping at your hair. What the fuck were you supposed to do now? How long before someone left the building and you could sneak back in? Even then, how were you supposed to get back into your apartment? Sure, you could try to bullshit the Super whenever he showed up for his shift, but with how your night was going, you didn’t like the odds.

Groaning, you rose your head and looked up at your window, ten floors up, contemplatively. Maybe…

No. No, you were _not_ going to try climbing that. No fucking way. Think of something else dumbass.

Your breath left you in a huff as you propped your chin on a fist, gaze cutting across the street. It was about as dead as it got, no people, no cars, only some moths banging themselves against the street lamps. There were scurrying sounds from a nearby trash can, and you hoped you wouldn’t see a rat. You hated rats.

Lacking any options, you huddled up against the metal railing, tucked your knees to your chest in an attempt at staying warm, and and settled in for the longest night of your life.

You managed to keep your eyes open for about half an hour before exhaustion, the cold, and sheer boredom made you waver in and out of consciousness.

It wasn’t until someone tapped you on the top of your head that you jolted awake with an unlady-like snort, jerking backwards and rebounding your skull against the door at your back. “Fucksakes! What?!”

Definitely needed to get a grip on your brain-to-mouth filter.

Though Venom didn’t seem too bothered by it.

Still, you paled. Gaped for a moment before swallowing around the lump in your throat. “Oh. It’s you.” ‘It’s you’. Brilliant. Very eloquent, dumbass.

He frowned and crouched down to be at your level, pale eyes scrutinizing you. “MORSEL, WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING OUT HERE?”

You grumbled, and jerked your thumb at the door. “Whereas _I_ left my apartment via the window, my keys did not.”

He tilted his head back to peer at the still open window, then let out a rumbling chuckle. “THIS ISN’T YOUR NIGHT, IS IT?”

“It really fucking isn’t,” you deadpanned, shivering a little.

“AND YOU’RE BLEEDING.”

A glance down at your right foot showed that the gauze you’d wound around the ball of your foot was red. “I stepped on gum and tried to scrape it off and ended up stabbing myself with a bobby pin. The same bobby pin that I broke trying to pick the fucking lock.”

He snickered. Actually fucking snickered. If hadn’t been Venom, you would have kicked him. Instead, you folded your arms across your chest and glared.

Apparently you weren’t very intimidating, because one look at you made him burst out laughing.

Asshole.

“Are you done?” you growled, figuring that if he could laugh at you, you could get pissy with him.

Rows of fangs were bared in an amused smirk. “SORRY, MORSEL. HERE, WE’LL BRING YOU BACK TO YOUR APARTMENT.” He rose to his full height, and held a massive hand out to you.

You glared at him for a moment longer, then huffed and slid your hand into his. Wicked talons grazed your skin as he curled his fingers around yours, effortlessly tugging you up onto your feet and then steadying you when you staggered a little.

Before you knew what he was planning, Venom had wrapped an arm around your waist, crouched, and leapt up to the side of the building. He cleared, like, fifteen feet in one bound. You made the mistake of looking down, and promptly threw your arms around his neck for fear of falling, hiding your face against his shoulder.

“EASY, LITTLE ONE. WE WON’T DROP YOU,” he rumbled, those talons sinking deep into the building’s brick as he climbed. But you were having flashbacks to taking a header out the window, and you were freaking out. “AH, HERE WE GO.”

You cracked an eye open, peered at your open window, then did the stupid thing and looked down again. “I can’t do this.”

“YES YOU CAN. WE WON’T LET YOU FALL. READY?”

“No.”

Another laugh left him as he lifted you a little, and you gripped the edges of the window as he guided you through. Only when your sore feet touched the hardwood floor did you let out your breath, heart hammering in your chest.

“Ohmigod, I’m alive.” You spent a moment enjoying the fact that you hadn’t fallen to your death before straightening and turning to look at Venom as he peered at your apartment through the open window. Long manners drilled into you by your mother took hold. Offer guests food and drink. It’s _polite_. “You, ah, wanna come in?”

He tilted his head at you. “DON’T SUPPOSE YOU HAVE ANY CHOCOLATE?”

“I have triple chocolate brownies, if that counts?”

“OOH. BROWNIES.” It should have been impossible for Venom to squeeze his bulk through the window, but somehow he managed, carefully shouldering his way through and stretching a little once he was standing in your living room. Jesus Christ, he was huge.

Shaking your head at the new weirdness of your life, you flicked on the lamp, grabbed a blanket off the couch, then wrapped it around yourself while shuffling to the kitchen. You’d made the brownies the day before, and you supposed it was a good thing you hadn’t eaten them all.

You put the kettle on for a tea for yourself in the hopes of warming yourself up, then brought then entire pan over to Venom, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room, eyeing the couch warily.

“Dude, if the couch survived my brother jumping on it like a trampoline while he belted out a horrible rendition of 'We Are the Champions’ then it can survive you. Sit.”

He huffed a laugh, but still moved gingerly as he took a seat. “DO WE WANT TO KNOW?”

“I lost a bet to him over a hockey game. He was drunk off his ass at the time and decided to make an idiot out of himself,” you explained, smirking as you handed him the pan of brownies. “He passed out halfway through the second verse and gave himself a black eye when he faceplanted himself onto the floor. I took pictures. For posterity. And blackmail.”

Another amused rumble left him as you turned to head back to the kitchen, pulling the eletric kettle off it’s base and filling a mug, dunking a Lady Grey tea bag into it afterwards. “So… I gotta ask. Why were you… Y'know, snooping around across the street earlier?”

“MM? OH, WE’RE HUNTING MEMBERS OF A GANG THAT ARE SELLING WEAPONS TO CHILDREN.”

You choked on your tea, wincing. Hot water in the sinuses _hurt_. “There’s a nutso with _guns_ living across from me?!”

“IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER, HE WON’T BE ALIVE MUCH LONGER.” He curled his tongue around a piece of brownie and pulled it into his mouth, humming in pleasure. “THESE ARE REALLY GOOD.”

“…thank you?” You sent a wary look out the open window, wondering if you needed to purchase a bullet-proof vest. “Sooo… You happened back this way hoping he was home?”

“BASICALLY. THOUGH HE MIGHT BE A LITTLE NERVOUS - WE KILLED THREE OF HIS 'FRIENDS’ TONIGHT.”

“It’s disconcerting to me that you said that in a conversational tone of voice,” you drawled as you went to sit in the armchair, tucking your blanket tighter around your shoulders.

He chuckled, fangs gleaming, before another brownie vanished. “YOU HUMANS, SO TOUCHY.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, then sipped at your tea, sighing a little as it warmed you from the inside out, the heat from the mug helping to chase the cold from your fingers.

Blinked seconds later when a brownie was offered to you on the tip of a talon.

“LAST ONE.”

“Nah. Go ahead. I can make more tomorrow.” The last brownie was pulled to it’s demise by a long tongue, fangs making quick work of the sweet treat. “I’ll duct tape a tupperware container of them to the side of the building for you. People already think I’m fuckin’ bonkers, anyway. Won’t even draw any attention.”

A rumbling belly laugh left him. “BONKERS?”

“Ever hear of Murphy’s Law?” When he shook his head, you smirked, tiredly. “It’s a saying. 'If anything _can_ go wrong, it _will_ go wrong, and at the worst possible moment.’ I think that fucker lives in my goddamn closet, because I attract trouble and weirdness like a magnet. Case in point - _Venom_ is sitting in my living room eating brownies waiting for a gun runner to get home so he can kill him.”

“YOU’RE DECIDEDLY MORE ENTERTAINING THAN JUST SITTING ON THE ROOFTOP.” Venom had enough good graces to glance away when you scowled at him.

“You’re not helping.”

“WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING?”

Okay, yeah, he had a point there. Huffing, you sat back in your chair, pouting a little. Sent a wary glance out the window, then blinked. “Don’t suppose your guy lives directly across from my apartment?”

“HM?” Venom rose from the couch to go stare out the window. You quickly clicked off the light so he wouldn’t be so fucking obvious. You didn’t need to add getting shot to your list. “OOOH. _THERE_ HE IS.”

The predatory tone to his voice made a shiver go up your spine. Mark you off as scared _and_ horny.

Really, you needed to re-evaluate your self-preservation instincts. Falling out windows due to stupidty and inviting a known killer in for brownies and then wanting to jump said killer wasn’t something a normal person would do.

“MORSEL?”

You blinked, refocusing on Venom, realizing he’d been talking to you. “Sorry! I lost my mind for a moment there. I’m better now.”

“YOU REALLY ARE A STRANGE LITTLE NIBBLE. WE LIKE THAT.” You really didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. “GO HIDE, NIBBLE. JUST IN CASE. WOULDN’T WANT YOU GETTING HIT BY A STRAY BULLET.”

Oh good lord he was going to solve a disaster by creating a catastrophe. “With my track record that’s a good possibility. Okay, yeah. I’ll go hunker down in the bathroom.”

He chuckled, moving to your side, and you got a close up view of those fangs before he nuzzled at your cheek, like some sort of giant, alien, badass, cat. “NO MORE FALLING OUT OF WINDOWS.”

“I’d nail the damn thing shut if I didn’t need the air.”

Another chuckle rumbled out of him, and you watched in a sort of bizarre awe as he squeezed himself out the window again, some of his mass rippling a little to help him through. Weird.

Not wanting to get shot, you rose up onto your feet, winced, mentally cursed, then hobbled to the bathroom. You kept the door open out of curiosity as you sat on the closed toilet seat, sipping your tea and wincing now and again as the sounds of gun shots, screams, and an unearthly roar broke the quiet night.

Only when things quieted down - you waited an extra ten minutes, just in case - did you leave, limping back into the living room. Checked the walls for any damage or stray bullets, then peeked outside, eyes widening.

The apartment across the way was missing it’s window. Like it had just been ripped out. A glance down showed that the frame, glass and a bunch of bricks were situated in the middle of the street.

Police were gathered amongst the rubble, blue and red flashing lights making you dizzy as they swarmed the street and the apartment - you could see flashlights and people moving in the shadows, along with a painful amount of blood spatter.

And then:

“Fuck my life,” you muttered, upon seeing what some cops on the street were pointing to. Across from you, obviously carved into the brick with a talon, were the words: “ _Thanks for the brownies, nibble_.”

“That’s it. I’m going to bed.”

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	33. It's Going Sideways (Sequel to Moral Compass)

Prompt - I was wondering if you could continue the "Moral Compass" story?

Part One [over Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37239836)

(Not technically compliant with the Movie’s plot. I wrote the first part of this before it came out, so I’m following that story line.)

EDIT - I intended this to be the last part, but well…. there will be a part 3! When I have time to write it. (Why do I do this to myself? >.< )

* * *

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It had been a long time since you’d woken up to someone else in your bed. 

Ideally, the other person would have been your boy or girlfriend. Currently it was a tired looking man with a five o’clock shadow and a symbiote half covering him like an oily blanket.

You yawned, scratching at your head as you sat up, tugging your tank top back into place. Heard Eddie - that _was_ his name right? - shift a little, his hands grabbing at a pillow as he nuzzled into it. Poor man didn’t look like he’d gotten much sleep lately.

Really, waking up to a rather nummy looking guy in your bed wasn’t so bad.

The symbiote sprawled across him rippled then, a black tendril rising to poke him in the back of the head. Eddie grumbled, blindly swiped at it, but it snuck past his feeble defense and poked him again.

“Nughhh… _what?_ ” Steel blue eyes cracked open a little, blinking sleepily, before Eddie focused on you. “Shit!” His eyes popped open as he paled, shoving himself up on his arms. Tried to leap to his feet, got tangled in the blankets, and crashed to the floor in a tangle of sheets and limbs.

You sighed, shaking your head as you rose up and crawled over to the opposite edge of the bed, peering down at him. “Are you alright?”

“Jesus! I’m sorry!” He tried to wriggle free of the blankets coiled around his left leg, only managing to pull all the sheets off the bed. “He’s got no fucking idea about boundaries! Last I remember we fell asleep on the couch!”

“Apparently Venom got lonely,” you drawled with a small laugh, moving to your proper side of the bed before getting to your feet. “Need help?”

“Nope. No. I think I got it.” There came a grunt and a muttered curse before he got to his feet, blankets bundled in his arms. “Um…”

“Just dump it on the bed.” You adjusted the shorts you slept in, then grabbed your housecoat and threw it on. “Coffee?”

“Fuck. _Please._ ”

Yawning again, you padded barefoot to the kitchen, giving your Keurig a fond pat as you shoved a small pod of Breakfast Blend into it, put a mug into place, and turned it on. The wonderful sound of brewing coffee filled the apartment, and you scratched at your mussed up hair as you leaned back against the counter, stretching a little.

Heard angry muttering from the bedroom and rolled your eyes as you moved to tidy up all the papers and open textbooks on the small kitchen table, shuffling things into proper order as you did so. 

The first mug of coffee was ready by the time Eddie shuffled out, wincing a little at the light coming in from the open windows. Poor guy looked even more ragged in the daylight. 

Your mother’s habits of feeding anyone who came into her house had transferred to you. And while you were technically living on a student’s budget, you had enough to at least get some food into him. 

“Here.” You pushed the mug of coffee into his hands, then reset the Keurig for an other mug before going to scavenge in your fridge. “I have…. eggs and,” you opened a container a little, gave a curious sniff, and promptly closed it again with a gag. Disgusted by your fridge, you yanked open the freezer door, rummaging around a little. “Huh. I have eggs and some mildly freeze-dried italian sausages for breakfast. Jesus, I have to go do a grocery.”

A tired laugh left Eddie as he sank down onto a chair at the small table. “You don’t have to feed us.”

“You’re in my house, you get fed. Oh. I have tater tots too.”

“TATER TOTS?”

Blinking, you glanced back, doing a double-take at the sight of Venom’s head hovering above Eddie’s right shoulder, weaving on a black stalk of symbiote mass. “Uhhh….”

“He likes tater tots,” Eddie drawled with a roll of his eyes as he sipped at his coffee. “And chocolate. This is really good coffee by the way.”

“It’s the only thing I splurge on. I need coffee to live, otherwise I think my eyeballs would fall out.” You saw Venom blink at that and quickly added. “Not literally! That’s, thankfully, impossible without massive blunt trauma. It’s just an expression.”

Shaking your head at the weirdness of it all, you prepped the oven, dumped the bag of tater tots onto a cookie sheet and then put the frozen italian sausages into the microwave to defrost. 

“Sorry you had to skip your classes,” Eddie murmured, and you frowned as you turned to look at him, leaning back against the counter again. Venom was eyeing the frozen tater tots on the counter, and you not-so-subltely pushed the cookie sheet a little further away from him.

“Don’t worry about it. I needed a day off anyway.” The Keurig clicked, and you turned to retrieve your own mug of coffee. When you turned back, Venom’s head had vanished, and you relaxed a little. “Besides, I have a friend I can copy notes off of.”

Eddie hummed, eyeing your textbooks, but he didn’t say anything more on the topic.

Rolling your eyes, you placed the tater tots into the safety of the oven, then went to sit across from him. “You can ask, you know.”

“Ask what?”

“How I ended up at the Life Foundation.” When Eddie dropped his gaze in embarrassment, you sighed and set your mug on the table as you took a seat on the second chair. Curled your fingers around it, letting the warm chase the chill from you as you stared at your reflection in the coffee. “I want to be a molecular geneticist. To study diseases and try to find cures, especially in the medical field. The Life Foundation… Carlton Drake came to one of my classes and offered jobs to a bunch of us with the highest grades. I didn’t know where the first genetic samples came from–” You sighed and looked up at Eddie, who was staring at you. “I was there two weeks before Drake showed us the symbiote _._ ”

“And you started having second thoughts,” Eddie guessed.

“Yeah. I think I was the only one who did too. Drake kept us away from Venom for another couple of weeks before letting us take more direct samples… I couldn’t do it. Got shit from my co-workers for it. And there was this guy, Adam–”

“Oh, I’ve heard all about Adam,” Eddie said with a disgusted tone of his voice, blackness flitting across his eyes.

“I don’t doubt it. Sick fucker.” A sigh left you. “I thought I was going to be able to help people with the research we were doing. Not– Not torturing a sentient being and helping an asshole experiment on the homeless population.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it?” The microwave beeped, and you pushed yourself up from your chair, going to stab a fork into the defrosted sausages to make sure they weren’t frozen anymore. “There’s no telling what Drake used my research for.” 

“You’re not responsible for another person’s evil,” Eddie told you sternly, and you sighed, glancing at him over your shoulder. “You’re not. Drake used you, plain and simple. At least you had the guts to leave when you found out what he was doing.”

“…the other symbiotes? Are they–?”

“Dead, as far as Venom could tell. Drake tried to force them to bond with people, and it didn’t take.”

Something clenched in your chest, and you had to take a few breaths to calm yourself. “He’ll be hunting for the two of you, then.”

“LET HIM TRY.”

The dark, predatory, _angry_ , voice sent a shiver down your back, and you turned, finding that Eddie had vanished, replaced by Venom, who was towering over you, hands clenched into fists.

“Don’t underestimate Drake,” you warned Venom gently, drawing that pale, alien, gaze to you. “There’s nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose. He’ll do _anything_ to get you back.”

“WE CAN HANDLE OURSELVES, MORSEL.”

“I don’t doubt it. But that doesn’t mean that Drake isn’t a threat.“ Venom huffed, glancing away, and you pressed on. “He spent _millions_ of dollars to get you and the others… You’re the only survivor. He’s not just going to let you go.”

A low rumble left the massive form. “BECAUSE OF MONEY.”

“Yes. And because he’s obsessed. Power can corrupt people, and Drake is as corrupt as they come.”

He scrowled, then met your gaze, and you rocked back on your heels a little at being the center of that predatory focus. “AND HE THINKS WE CAN HELP HIM GET MORE MONEY.”

“Yes.” You sighed. “People like Drake, they always want more. More money. More power. More fame. From what I heard from the others at the Lab, he was hoping that using you symbiotes would help humanity evolve. You’re immune to all of our diseases, can heal almost any wound, even help us survive in toxic or low-oxygen environments. The implications of that… If Drake were to transfer even a fraction of your abilities to humans… Well, there are a lot of people who would be willing to pay a lot of money for something like that.”

“MONEY. IS IT ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY WITH YOU HUMANS?”

The disgusted tone of his voice made you bristle. “We’re not all like Drake, Venom,” you snapped. “There are plenty of good people in this world. I doubt you’d have stayed with Eddie for as long as you have if he was like Drake.”

Venom shifted, deflating a little. “NO. NO, EDDIE IS NOT LIKE DRAKE.” A grumble left him, and he visibly relaxed, tilting his head to look at you. “YOU ARE NOT LIKE DRAKE.”

“I try very hard not to be.” Still a little insulted, you turned and went about slicing up the italian sausages before throwing them onto a frying pan, jabbing at them with a fork.

A low rumble sounded from behind you. “WE’RE SORRY, MORSEL. EDDIE SAYS WE’VE INSULTED YOU.”

“I’m not…” You sighed, calming yourself, then glanced at him. “Alright yeah. I’m a little mad. Don’t… don’t judge an entire world of people by the actions of one selfish bastard. We’re not perfect, but we’re not all like, Drake.”

Silence fell over the apartment, apart from the sizzling of the sausages in the pan, and the next thing you knew, Venom was invading your personal space, bending down to rest his chin on the top of your head, arms looping around you.

It was weird, but you didn’t protest, merely forced yourself to relax and concentrated on cooking. “You gonna let Eddie back out so he can eat?”

“AFTER TATER TOTS.”

You peeked into the oven. “Five more minutes.”

He grumbled, then huffed warm breath into your hair. “WHAT IS IT WITH YOU HUMANS AND _COOKING_ EVERYTHING? IT’S ALL _DEAD_.”

An amused chuckle left you at the petulant tone of his voice. “First off, most foods taste better when they’re cooked. Secondly, eating raw meat can be dangerous. There are bacteria and such that can make humans really sick. Cooking it kills the bacteria and makes it safe.”

“BLEH.”

“Can’t all be bad if Eddie says you like tater tots and chocolate.”

He laughed. It showed that you were getting used to him that you didn’t jump at the predatory rumble. “TRUE.” A pause. “EDDIE IS COMPLAINING ABOUT BOUNDARIES AGAIN.”

You tapped at the arms around your waist. “Most people who aren’t in a relationship wouldn’t be this close to each other. It’s a rule that Western Culture forces on us, I suppose. I know that things are different in other parts of the world.”

“WEIRD.”

“Little bit. Here, let go for a moment, I think your tater tots are ready.” Used an oven mitt to retrieve the potatoes from the oven and set them on an unused round of the stove, idly swatting Venom’s hand away when he tried to snatch up some tots. “You’ll burn yourself.”

He grumbled. You turned back to the almost cooked sausages, glanced right when something tapped on your shoulder, then caught Venom grabbing a massive handful of potatoes out of the corner of your left eye. “Seriously?”

“WE’RE HUNGRY,” was the answer you got as he shoveled food into his mouth, tongue licking up pieces that escaped his fangs. 

Shaking your head, you dumped the rest of the potatoes onto a plate, then handed it to him, rolling your eyes when he merely opened his maw impossibly wide and upended the contents into his mouth.

Okay, then.

Marveling at the new insanity in your life, you grabbed the egg carton out of the fridge, then used a spatula to move the sausages across the frying pan. Filled the free space with three eggs, then scrambled everything together.

Heard some curious sniffing, and glanced at Venom as he loomed over you again. “You can have some when it’s _cooked._ ”

“SMELLS BETTER RAW.” And before you could stop him, he’d lashed a tendril out to pluck up one of the remaining eggs and popped it into his mouth, shell and all. “MM. NOT BAD. CHOCOLATE IS BETTER.”

A laugh left you. “Chocolate is always better. There’s a couple of bars in the fridge if you–” Wow. You didn’t think someone that large could move so fast. Miracle the door stayed attached to the fridge too. Jesus.

Rolling you eyes, you retrieved two plates and divided the contents of the frying pan equally, setting the pan onto a cold round to cool. You turned, both plates in hand, sighing when you saw that Venom had left a large dent in the handle of the fridge’s door.

“OOPS?”

“Uh huh. Let Eddie out so he can eat, please.” Doubtless, the poor man’s metabolism was working overtime while his body was hosting Venom. You didn’t voice it though, merely watched as Venom crunched through a final chocolate bar before the symbiote rippled away from Eddie.

“Here you go,” you set his plate and a fork down on the table before claiming the second chair and taking a seat. “Eat up.”

“You’re… being amazingly blaze about all this,” Eddie commented with a curious look as he sat down, picking up his mug of coffee and grimacing as he finished off the no doubt cold brew.

“I had my little freak out about alien life a while ago,” you smirked, spearing a piece of sausage with your fork. “Venom is… intimidating, yeah. But if I thought either of you were a real threat to me, I wouldn’t have let you crash on the couch. Or my bed.”

He blushed, and you hid a smile. “Sorry about that. He’s very… touchy feely.”

Your lips quirked. “I noticed.”

“Sorry.”

“S’okay.” Breakfast went by quietly as Eddie wolfed down his food as if he hadn’t eaten in days, and you glanced over at the counter. “I can make toast?”

He blinked. “Huh? Oh, no. That’s okay. Sorry. It’s just, ever since Venom bonded with me, I’m always starving.”

“Your hosting another living being. Your metabolism is probably in overdrive.”

“Mn. It’s gotten better since Venom started eating junk food, actually.” Eddie polished off the last bits of egg, then rose, ignoring your protests as he took your empty plate and walked over to the sink. Only when he had his back to you did he continue talking. “It– he, kinda _ate_ a guy’s head.”

You did a slow blink. “…well, that’s… kinda… horrible.“

“You have _no_ idea. Got him to promise to only, uh, _bite_ , the bad guys at least. But, still…” Eddie stiffened suddenly and turned to you with wide eyes. “We wouldn’t hurt you though! Jesus, fuck, I’d throw myself out the window first!”

The panic in his voice made you frown. But then again, if you were suddenly host to a sentient, predatory, alien, you’d be panicking from time to time too. “Eddie, it’s okay. I believe you.” 

Moving slowly, you rose and went to make more coffee, paused, decided that Eddie didn’t need the caffeine, and put a hot chocolate pod into the Keurig instead.

You were about to insist that he didn’t have to do the dishes when your phone warbled the Doctor Who theme, and you huffed as you rushed back into the bedroom to answer it, pausing a little at the blocked number before thumbing the proper button. “Hello?”

“All of the men I had watching you are missing! Care to explain?”

Drake. Shit.

“Well, how the hell should I know?” you snapped, waving at Eddie to stay silent when he was drawn to the bedroom doorway due to the anger in your voice. “ _I’m_ the one whose privacy you’re invading it’s not _my_ job to keep an eye on your thugs.”

“They were _highly trained_ security personnel. The only way they’d be _missing_ is if they were _dead._ ” When you didn’t rise to the bait, Drake tried another approach. “That symbiote is dangerous. Nothing else could have taken out my men. And whether you want to admit it or not, you created a rapport with that creature. With your security detail… _missing_ , I think you should come back to the facility. For your _safety_ , you understand _._ ”

Safety, your ass.

“I appreciate your… _concern_ , Mr. Drake. But that doesn’t change the fact that I find you, and your methods of ‘research’, distasteful at best and criminal at worst.” It wasn’t Eddie in the doorway anymore, it was Venom, and you hoped that the growl he loosed upon hearing Drake’s name wasn’t audible over the line. “Now, and I mean this sincerely: go fuck yourself.”

Hanging up on someone never felt so good.

“Well, shit,” you muttered afterwards, raising your eyes to Venom’s. “I think he knows you’re here.”

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	34. We're A Family Now (Sequel To Elevator Troubles while Expecting)

Prompts - I'm just imagining in the trapped in the elevator story after SO has the baby and V's just like 'it's so small....... a tiny human...' just completely enamored w/ this lil squishy bean. Just. Noodle Dad and smol babby is Good Shit.

 _Hey there! Just wanted to say that I absolutely fell in love with your Expecting Venom x Reader story!! Do you think there will be a sequel/follow up where Eddie and the reader have a cute discussion about names or Eddie/Venom freaking out over a Braxton Hicks contraction? (And maybe the reader goes, “OMG, it’s fine! I’m fine! Plz calm down!” after Venom fully transforms, scoops her up, and is about to web-swing her to the hospital, or something! XD )_          

_OMG, I just LOVED your Pregnant Reader x Eddie Brock/Venom story!!!! Do you think you could do another one where the Reader suddenly goes into labor?_

_Can we get more pregnant reader with Eddie and the symbiot? Maybe she goes into labor and they are freaking out and after 5 hrs twins are born, one completely human and the other a symboit that already bonded with the human baby and they are a perfect match since they basically grown together.  
_

_Hi don’t know if I’m asking at the right site sorry if I’m not. I was wondering if you could do a venom promt, like a sequel to the Elevator one where the pregnant reader finally gives birth and Venom is immediately mesmerized by the baby after the delivery, maybe have him freak out like a lot of dads do during the labour since he is still learning things about humans? If you already have a sequel to it then just ignore me. Gamer-Kat._

WOW! So much interest for this one! Alright, here we go. I hope this doesn’t disappoint. (I tried to work in the symbiote/baby idea. It’s not _quite_ what was requested, but I hope it’s good enough)

Sequel to "[Elevator Troubles while Expecting](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37639727)"

The Prompt '[Daddy's Girl](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37766561)' has been edited. It's kind of a 'future' story connected to the 'pregnant reader' prompts

* * *

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“Eddie?”

“Yeah, babe?”

You grimaced a little as you braced a hand against the living room wall, your other hand clutching at your belly. Pain radiated from your stomach, to your lower back and down your legs, turning standing into an exertion that you really didn’t need. You breathed through it, when spoke once the wave had passed. “I think you should get me to the hospital now.”

His head jerked up and spun towards you so fast you thought he’d broken his neck. “W-What?”

“I’ve been having contractions… for the past hour.”

“The past— _Babe!_ You said you were sleeping!”

“Yes, well, after the Braxton-Hicks _incident_ I wanted to be sure this time.” Said _incident_ had involved a panicking Venom, who had scooped you up and bashed his way out the living-room window - and part of the wall - in the rush to get you to the nearest hospital before you’d been able to explain to him what was going on.

Luckily the Building Manager was a good one. Most of the brickwork had been replaced, and while the ‘window’ part was still boarded up, the Manager had assured you that the order had been put in and it was just a matter of waiting for the custom window to be delivered.

Currently, however, you had bigger problems.

Like Eddie running around the apartment trying to find the bag you’d prepared for your trip to the hospital. “Eddie.”

His voice wavered. You saw little symbiote tendrils start to weave in the air around him, a sure sign that Venom was getting just as flustered. “Yeah?”

Jesus. Did all men get this freaked out? “Hallway closet, top shelf, green duffel bag.”

“Right!”

Shaking your head, you slowly waddled towards the apartment door, thankful for the slip-on sneakers you’d bought two months ago. Bending over just wasn’t possible anymore.

Eddie returned to your side with the needed bag, eyes comically wide. “Cab or web-slinging?”

You opened your mouth, then shut it with a grimace as another wave hit you. You’d had bad menstrual cramps before - had been warned by your OBG/YN that the contractions might feel that way - but this was ridiculous.

“Web-slinging. Definitely web-slinging. _Off the rooftop!_ ” you added quickly as Eddie vanished under the darkness of the symbiote, Venom reaching for you once the transformation was complete. “We managed to bullshit our way through one excuse for the wall. I don’t think we can do it again.”

“WE PANICKED A LITTLE,” Venom rumbled to you, voice low with embarrassment, as he gently scooped you into his arms, cuddling you close. He lashed out some tendrils from his back to pick up the duffel bag, anchoring it to him as he used another bit to open the front door.

It wasn’t often that you saw Venom employ stealth. Usually he just went where he wanted to go, and damn anything in his way. Now, he was silent, footfalls making no sound as he darted across the hallway and into the stairwell, bounding up them one flight at a time.

“TALK TO US MORSEL. WE CAN SENSE YOUR PAIN. WHAT DO WE DO?”

That had been the symbiote’s largest issue with your pregnancy. Not the physical changes, or the oddity of a live birth, but the fact that you’d end up in pain. Both Eddie and Venom had _zero_ tolerance for seeing you in pain. They both fretted and hovered, and one of them had a horrible habit of just wanting to kill the source of your torment.

You worried about having them in the room during the actual childbirth.

For now though. “My lower back, can you put pressure on it a little?” Felt a tendril slip under your shirt, spreading across your back and kneading into your flesh, and instantly the seizing sensation eased. “Mm. Thanks. That helps a lot.”

“WE’LL BE AT THE HOSPITAL SOON.” He wasn’t as stealthy as he bashed the rooftop access door open with his shoulder, but you were in the middle of another contraction and couldn’t care. “OH! WE CAN SENSE THAT! HOW FAR APART ARE THEY?”

You glanced at your watch. “T-They’re speeding up. This one is only three minutes after the last one.” The symbiote had read every bit of literature that you and Eddie had brought home, twice, even pestering Eddie into going online so it could learn more. It probably knew more about childbirth than you did at this point.

Venom growled, shifting you in his grip, a thick tendril lashing around your legs, to support you as he freed his right arm and sent a webline out to another building. “HOLD TIGHT. WE CAN GET TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE YOUR NEXT CONTRACTION.”

Blinking, you obediently curled your arms around his neck, clinging to him as he leapt off the roof. The pull of gravity felt worse than ever before, tugging at something inside you, but you didn’t comment, not when everything blurred past you at a speed you’d never experienced before.

Venom swung around a corner and rebounded off a building before sending out another line, the hand curled around your shoulders tightening a little when you hid your face against his shoulder. It was a rapid paced roller-coaster of ups and downs, pulls and pushes, the wind ruffling your hair as he crossed a quarter of the City in record time.

It was Eddie that landed in a quiet part of the Hospital’s parking lot, his left arm returning to properly cradle you. “Jesus, I didn’t know he could move that fast.”

“Neither did I,” you admitted, feeling the bit of symbiote applying pressure against your back ripple a little.

No one gave you any weird looks as Eddie carried you into the ER, though the triage Nurse was a little slow on the uptake, at least until Venom took over Eddie’s voice and snarled out that you were in labor and to call the doctor _now._ Then she moved.

Half an hour later - after your water broke and an ER doctor had confirmed that you were ‘officially’ in active labor (no shit Sherlock) - you were in the maternity ward, lying in an uncomfortable bed, in an itchy gown, hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor. Your legs were in stirrups while a Nurse checked to see how dilated you were. You had a grip on Eddie’s hand, mostly because there was a sheen of white over his blue eyes, a sign that Venom was close to the surface, and you couldn’t tell if the symbiote was just curious or protective.

The next four hours went by normally, so your Nurses told you. You turned down an epidural, but accepted some painkillers. Eddie stayed by your side the entire time, helping you walk when the Nurses suggested that you walk, rubbing your back, fetching you water and ice chips when needed and talking you through the contractions. The symbiote was always _just_ under the surface, evident by the slightly cloudy sheen that turned his eyes grey - something that only you noticed, thank God.

It wasn’t until you were almost fully dilated that the real pain started. Intense cramping, pulling, _tightening_ , waves that left you shaking with every ebb and crest. Eddie became glued to your side, literally, as the symbiote sent out half-camouflaged tendrils, massaging your back and hips, giving you little nudges when you forgot to breathe. At the same time, Eddie encouraged you through each wave, gently using a cold cloth to wipe the sweat from your face, holding you hand when you needed and not complaining when you tried to crush his fingers.

Honestly, there were moments where you wanted to kill him for getting you pregnant.

To say you were relieved when the overwhelming urge to push finally came and a Nurse announced that you were fully dilated and ready to go. You had no idea of how long you’d been at the hospital at that point, everything had just blurred together in the rising and falling of contractions.

Nurses, a doctor for you and a pediatrician for the baby filled the room, the sudden hustle and bustle making your nerves spike a little. But by then the urge to push was massive, and you just wanted the baby _out_.

They allowed - funny ‘allowed’. Obviously had _no_ clue - Eddie to get behind you on the bed so you were between his legs, back to his chest, helping you to settle into a more comfortable position. It gave the symbiote the opportunity to cover your back and sides, massaging, kneading, where ever it could touch, safely hidden from view by your gown.

You gripped Eddie’s hands and bore down during contractions, gritting your teeth at the stinging, burning, sensation. Jesus Christ, how was the world overpopulated if _this_ is what women had to go though?

Went limp when the doctor told you to stop pushing, leaning your head back against Eddie’s right shoulder, so tired and drained. He nuzzled at you, scratchy stubble itching your cheek, the symbiote kneading your back, pressing against you.

“You’re almost there,” Eddie murmured, kissing your cheek, hands gripping yours tight.

The doctor told you to push when you could, and you shook your head a little. “I-I can’t–”

“Yeah, you can. C’mon. One more.” There was some of Venom’s voice melded with Eddie’s and you shivered as the symbiote rippled against your spine.

With a last herculean effort, your baby daughter was born. Once the doctors cleared her airway, clamped the cord, and deposited her on your chest, she started to fuss and cry _._ Felt the symbiote go very, _very_ , still against you as you pulled her into a gentle hug, nestling her close to you, hearing Eddie’s breathing hitch a little as he rose a hand to rest it over her back.

“Told you you could do it,” he sniffled, pressing a kiss to your cheek again, though you knew his gaze was locked on his daughter.

Your little Jamie.

The pediatrician took her from you, briefly, cleaned her up a little and checked her over before happily announcing that you had a perfectly healthy, seven-point-two pound little girl.

It wasn’t until you were in your own room, cleaned up, with your daughter in your arms, that Venom felt safe enough to make an appearance. You kept an eye on the door as he slowly approached you, leaning down to peer at the little life in your arms.

“IS… IS IT SAFE TO TOUCH HER?” You’d never heard Venom actually sound _nervous_ before.

“Just watch the talons,” you murmured, smiling when the blackness on his hands rippled, those wicked claws retracting.

Slowly, as if he was almost afraid of her, Venom lifted his little girl into the crook of his right arm, carefully supporting her head the way he’d obviously seen in all the books you’d brought home. Jamie was minuscule in his arms, her little face scrunched up as she slept, one hand nestled to her mouth.

You watched as he ducked his head, gently nuzzling at her, drinking in her scent, just like he did to you. “SHE SMELLS LIKE US MIXED WITH YOU. LIKE…” His voice trailed off, and you saw his pale eyes widen a little.

New motherly instincts went off. “Venom? What is it?”

He licked at her face with the tip of his tongue, blinking when she fussed a little in her sleep. “SHE SMELLS LIKE… LIKE A SYMBIOTE.”

Okay. That wasn’t as bad as your mind was thinking. “You and Eddie are her father. Of course she’d smell like you.”

“NO, MORSEL. SHE HAS YOUR SCENT, YES. BUT SHE DOESN’T SMELL LIKE A _HUMAN_.”

Okay. _That_ was a little worse. “Which means what?”

One massive shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. “NOT SURE. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. NEVER KNEW WE COULD HAVE AN OFFSPRING THIS WAY.” He turned his attention back down to the baby in his arms, rumbling softly, purring to her in his own way. She fussed a little more, then opened her eyes - the same steel blue as Eddie’s eyes - and though you knew that she probably couldn’t focus her vision yet, you could swear she was looking back at him.

Venom stared back at her for a moment before his head jerked up, eyes narrowing at the doorway. Moments later, it was Eddie standing in his place, the man looking a little frazzled to suddenly be holding his daughter, though that awkwardness quickly turned into a sort of protective-Dad vibe when a Nurse walked in.

Thank God for keen symbiote senses.

After the Nurse had checked up on you and the baby, you were left alone again, Jamie back in your arms, Eddie perched on the side of the bed so he could look down at her.

“Venom thinks she might genetically, be part symbiote,” Eddie murmured to you softly, relaying the symbiote’s thoughts, since the alien had decided that staying hidden while in the hospital was safest. “That might be why she smells different to him. Which makes sense, I guess. I’m not fully human anymore.”

“I don’t care,” you frowned, keeping Jamie settled close while she nursed at your breast. Deciding that Eddie looked too bummed for such an amazing day, you rose your free hand to Eddie’s face, pulling him down for a kiss. “She’s ours and she’s perfect. So, long she doesn’t go biting the heads off of people before she’s eighteen, I can pretty much adapt to anything.”

Eddie paled a little. “Jesus, I didn’t think of that.”

You grinned as you pecked Eddie on the lips again. “And, if she ends up climbing walls and gets stuck up there, I expect one or both of you to get her down. And when the time comes I’ll even let you handle any potential boyfriends.”

“ _Boyfriends?!_ ” Venom’s voice growled out of Eddie’s throat before the man whacked himself in the chest, coughing when the symbiote relinquished control.

“Calm down dude,” Eddie muttered. “That won’t be for, like, thirteen years.”

“If you’re lucky.”

“ _Please_ don’t rile him up,” he pouted, smirking when you giggled. Smiling, Eddie leaned in to kiss you again, then dropped a softer peck onto Jamie’s head. “Love you.”

“I love you, too. Both of you.”

.

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	35. Two's A Crowd

Prompt: _Hey if you ever want a writing idea. What would be cool is if venom comes home to find his significant other being the host to one of the female simbyotes and well…you can figure what could go from there_

Short but sweet. This one gave me some trouble for some reason.

<<Symbiote Mentally talking>>

“ **Symbiote talking out loud** ”

“VENOM TALKING”

* * *

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.

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This was not your day. Well, it had started off well, awesome morning, not too bad day at work, until, on the way home, you’d stepped in a puddle and the puddle had attached itself to you. Now, you had a voice in your head and that was urging you to go bite someone’s head off and it was freaking you out a little.

Luckily for you, this wasn’t a situation too far out of left field.

<<What’s ‘left field’? Can we eat it?>>

“Fucksakes, no!”

<<We’re hungry!>>

“Just lemme make this phone call and we’ll raid the fridge!”

You had the sensation of something pouting. <<Don’t want dead things!>>

“Ohmigod, don’t whine like that! It hurts my head!”

The phone rang a few more times before a click of the line being picked up was heard. “Hi, babe! What’s up?”

“Eddie! Hi!” You paced the length of the apartment, the sound of your boyfriend’s voice helping to ease the nervous tension that had your insides vibrating. Or maybe that was the feeling of something literally fidgeting inside you. “Um… Look, can you come home early? Something, something _happened_ , and I really need you and V’s help.”

The fact that you’d mentioned Venom at all was a clue. Worry instantly coloured Eddie’s voice, and you heard him fumble with some papers before the ding of an elevator flowed over the connection. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, remember how you had said there were other symbiotes at the Life Foundation?”

“Jesus, fuck. Don’t tell me– We’ll be right there! Try not to leave the apartment!”

Something seized control of your voice. “ **Bring prey!** ”

Coughing, you hammered at your chest until you felt it let go and yelled: “Goddamnit we’re not eating people!”

Eddie’s voice calling you from the phone made you raise it to your ear again. “Babe? Babe, stay calm. We’re on our way. There’s a bunch of chocolate in the cupboard, try to distract it with that.”

“Okay. Yeah, okay. Just… hurry up please.”

“WE’LL BE RIGHT THERE, MORSEL.” As always, Venom’s voice made a pleasant shiver run down your spine, and you felt your new 'passenger’s’ interest as you hung up the phone.

<<What was that?>>

“What?”

<<Happy shivery thing.>>

You were _not_ going to have a sex talk with an alien. Instead, you headed for the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards before finding a box of Hershey bars. “This is chocolate. You’ll like it,” you told it as you unwrapped one and took a bite.

Had the completely alien sensation of something sharing your taste buds, a sort of mental spike happening before reddish-yellow tendrils exploded from your shoulder, a head very much like Venom’s forming on the stalk as a vicious fanged maw finished off the treat, wrapper and all. “Dude! Watch my fingers!”

The symbiote turned to look at you, pale eyes slightly rounder than Venom’s were, fangs shorter, with two eye teeth, like a viper’s, but no less wicked. The voice was softer too, still predatory, but almost… feminine? “ **More?** ”

You felt it’s hunger and excitement and unwrapped another bar. “Don’t bite me,” you warned it as you held the bar up, watching in a sort of awe as it delicately bit into it, chewing, before a second chomp polished off the bar.

“ **Mmm. Almost better than flesh.** ”

“Well get fucking used to it because I’m not _eating_ people.”

“ **You’d rather we eat your organs?** ”

Well, shit. It had you there. “Just wait until, Venom gets here. He’ll explain shit to you.”

“ **Venom?! That loser is still alive?!** ”

You narrowed your eyes at the symbiote, feeling it’s surprise at your anger. “He is not a loser. He’s bonded to my boyfriend. Fucksakes, I guess he’s my boyfriend, too. It’s complicated. Just… Here, have more chocolate.”

Silence other than loud munching fell over the apartment. You dropped the box of chocolate bars onto the kitchen table and slumped into a chair, watching the symbiote as it extended tendrils to slice the wrappers off before shoveling chocolate into it’s face.

Eventually, your curiosity won out. “Why do you call Venom a loser?”

The symbiote looked up from it’s decimation of Venom’s chocolate stash, tendrils tightening around the box a little possessively at the mention of the other alien. “ **Empathy is not considered a good genetic trait to pass on to the next generation. He has too much compassion for his hosts.** ”

“And how, exactly, is that a bad thing?”

“ **Hosts are a means to an end. A survival mechanism. They are not something to be… cared about.** ”

“Well, 'fuck you’ too!” Jesus, you had a homicidal mud-puddle attached to you. “Lemme tell you something, bitch. I am not going to let you use me like some fucking meaty life support so you can run around killing people!”

Laughter tickled the inside of your brain. “ **An how do you plan on stopping me, little one?** ”

“You know what a molotov cocktail is?” Had the odd sensation of having slithering thoughts rummage through yours. Felt it’s surprise and shock and horror when it discovered what you were talking out. “I’d sooner turn myself into a goddamn crispy critter than let you kill innocent people. So either fucking behave or we’re _both_ going to die horrible firey deaths.”

“ **You wouldn’t.** ”

You turned towards the face that was watching you, it’s eyes narrowed a little. You were all cold calm as you leaned forward, getting within a hairs-breath of it’s fangs. You’d seen Venom in a rage, seen him bite heads off of muggers. You could face this. “Try me.”

It blinked at you. Then turned it’s head away and sullenly munched on another chocolate bar.

Hot damn. You’d stared down a cannibalistic goo alien.

“ **You know we can hear you.** ”

“Good,” you snapped, propping your chin on a fist. “Enjoy the fuckery that is my brain. At least I won’t have to suffer alone.”

Another silence fell over you, and you sat there, fuming, while the symbiote moodily chewed on another chocolate bar. You made a mental note to buy another box of bars for Venom as compensation.

You heard a welcome thump against the wall a few minutes later, and looked up in relief as Venom shouldered his way into the apartment, his attention locking on to you.

Instantly, 'your’ symbiote bristled, hissing, and you yelped as it wrapped around you, tight, rising and encompassing you.

There was nothing. No light, no sensation, no sound, nothing. It was full on sensory-deprivation. You screamed, but made no noise, struggled, but couldn’t move. There was only the feeling of a crushing weight in your mind, overriding every single system in your body. Your limbs moved against your will, and you screamed, just screamed, unendingly. Felt tears wet your face and sobbed out Venom’s name, terror gripping you so tight you thought your heart would stop.

And then, a loud, enraged, howl: “SHE’S _OURS!_ ”

A hand speared into the blackness around you, grabbing your arm, and you shrieked as you were _ripped_ free, sensation and sight and sound slamming back into you like a train decimating a cow. Every nerve ending _screamed_ as you were pulled from the other symbiote, forcibly separated as it was peeled off of you.

You collapsed to the floor in front of Venom, sobbing and shaking and trying to crawl away from the reddish-yellow symbiote that was pooled on the floor at your feet, twitching weakly.

“MORSEL?” A large inky black hand cupped the side of your face, and you looked up at Venom as he crouched next to you. You were trembling, fighting to level out your hysterical breathing. “SHHH. WE HAVE YOU NOW.”

“W-What… what the _fuck_ was that?! I… I couldn’t _see_ … couldn’t _hear_ …”

Arms slid around you, gently lifting you from the floor, and you clung to him, shaking. “IT’S WHAT MOST SYMBIOTES DO WHEN TAKING OVER THEIR HOSTS,” he growled, carrying you over to the couch and gently setting you down, crouching in front of you when you refused to let go of him. “AND NO, WE DON’T DO THAT TO EDDIE.”

“I didn’t think you would,” you gasped, clutching at your chest, feeling your heart hammer against your rib-cage. Slowly, as you regained some semblance of calm, you slid your gaze over to the writhing symbiote on the floor nearby. “I-Is it?”

“SYMBIOTES CANNOT SURVIVE ON THIS WORLD WITHOUT A HOST.”

“…I can’t believe I’m saying this,” you muttered, before looking at Venom. “We can’t just let it die.”

“MORSEL–”

“I know, I _know_.” You rose a hand to your head, shivering at the still too-fresh memory of being cut off from everything. “ _Believe me_ , I don’t like it either. But letting it die isn’t an option, and letting it find another host that isn’t as… _morally upstanding_ , isn’t an option either.”

A low, angry, growl left him, his hands rising to clutch at you, hauling you into a possessive hug. “YOU’RE _OURS_ ,” Venom hissed, snapping his fangs at the other symbiote when it reached a tendril out towards you pleadingly.

“Venom…” Sighing, you kissed him on the cheek, drawing his gaze and his attention as he licked at your lips in return. “Nothing will change that.”

He rumbled, turning his head to look at the other alien, pale eyes narrowing a little. “WAIT HERE.”

You blinked as he set you on the couch again, watching as he rose to his full height and stalked over to the weakly twitching puddle of symbiote on the floor. He scooped it into a massive hand, talons cutting into it a little, before he pressed it into his chest.

Black and red and yellow mixed, like some weird paint smear. Venom held still, rumbling a little, pale eyes closed into slits, and you wondered what the fuck was going on before he hissed, then yanked the other symbiote away from himself.

“ONE SECOND CHANCE. ONLY ONE,” he announced as he moved over to you again, raising his left hand, the other symbiote, curled into a ball of oily red and yellow, vibrating a little in his palm. “IT HURTS YOU AGAIN, WE’LL KILL IT.”

“You just had some weird symbiote conference didn’t you?”

He smirked at you. “IN A WAY.”

You started to reach out, then hesitated, glancing up at Venom again. “Don’t let it turn me into, Riot.”

“NEVER.”

“Okay.” Exhaling, you lightly pressed your fingertips to the ball of liquid sunset, shivering at the alien sensation of having another sentient mind flowing into yours. Tendrils curled around your wrist and arm as the symbiote climbed up your arm, inching it’s way across your chest to your opposite shoulder before it just _seeped_ through your clothes and into your flesh.

<<We are… sorry. For hurting you.>>

You closed your eyes to focus on the new connection. _Apology accepted. Don’t do it again._

<<Venom would kill me if we did. He is… very different now. Stronger. More dominant. He is very protective of you. As is his host.>>

_We’re…_

<<Mated. Venom told us. We will keep the city safe with you. Though we might eat some people from time to time.>>

You huffed and opened your eyes to blink up at Venom, who was watching you worriedly. “You told it we’d go on patrol with you?”

Massive shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “UNLESS YOU WANT IT EATING YOUR ORGANS?”

“Again with the organ eating! What _is it_ with you symbiotes and organ eating?!”

“THEY’RE TASTY.” At the slightly pale look you gave him, Venom shrugged. “WELL THEY ARE!”

<<Wanna go hunting! Can we go hunting? Won’t lock you away like last time, promise!>>

A long, drawn out, suffering sigh left you. “Fuck my life. Alright. Let’s all go hunting.”

Venom grinned, and you felt your own symbiote wriggle in your chest excitedly.

Jesus Christ. How did Eddie do it?

.

.

.


	36. New Year's Eve

Prompt - I got a prompt idea for you. You amazing writer you. What if the reader meets Peter Parker for the first time. At some massive event that Eddie has taken her to. Then tells Eddie about it only for some childish hijinks to ensue by both of them. Which then leads to needing to be stopped by the reader.

I spent more time researching on how to describe a dress than I did writing the entire prompt, haha. WTF, brain?!

I guess this takes place in New York, since, obviously, that’s where Peter Parker lives. Let’s just say that he and Eddie are on speaking terms, they _know_ each other’s ‘alter egos’, Eddie has a job at the Bugle, did I forget anything? (God I spent too much time looking at dresses)

EDIT: OH!! Peter Parker is an ADULT in this. I just… can’t thirst after Tom Holland’s Spidey, he’s a KID, it’s creepy. He’s like, too young. Gimme back my Spiderman that’s out of University & has a job and bills and an apartment & works at the Bugle selling pics of himself as Spidey. (No offense to Tom Holland & Fans, but he’s WAY too young for me.)

EDIT THE SECOND: This turned out longer than I expected. I was having too much fun writing it.

Just… enjoy!

* * *

.

.

.

The moment Eddie had said ‘black tie’ event, you’d panicked.

Okay, _yes_ , it _was_ for a New Years Eve party hosted by the Daily Bugle at a huge ballroom at the Empire State Building, rented by one J. Jonah Jameson. And of _course_ J.J. had invited a lot of big wigs, which had turned the party into something formal. And _yes_ you were flattered that Eddie wanted to bring you (he’d honestly better, you and he had been an item for over six months), but what mostly terrified you was that you’d have to venture out and purchase… a dress.

Fuck.

And Eddie, being a shit, had insisted that you go alone so that the dress would be a surprise to him, like a Christmas present he’d get to ‘open’ at the end of the night.

Searching Online had only given you a headache - _how many_ types of dresses did one species need?! And _how much_ were they?! You’d freaked yourself out.

Finally, you’d gathered up your wits, put on your cleanest jeans and nicest blouse, and forced yourself to go to one of the fancy dress shops downtown. You practically attached yourself to the kindest employee there, blurted out your reason for coming and your reason for panic, and begged her to help you, please with a cherry on top _._

Since you were a dress ‘virgin’, she had patiently explained each ‘type’ of dress - the cuts, the materials, the proper occasions for each one - as she guided you through the unending racks of gowns available.

When she’d turned and saw that your eyes were as wide as saucers and a little glassy, she’d smiled and just started picking dresses for you to try on.

Fifteen dresses later, you’d narrowed your preferences down. You knew the cut you liked, the materials, now you were on a hunt for something that caught your eye.

 _Three hours_ into the journey that Eddie had forced you on, you stumbled upon the ‘New Arrivals’ rack and fallen in love. It was a deep navy blue. Tulle skirt, fully embellished beaded bodice with a sweet heart neckline two inches from being indecent. The back was partially open, and inch wide shoulder caps made your worries about the dress falling off go away. What really caught your attention was that the beads on the bodice looked like a galaxy, and the skirt was layered with some sort of almost sheer material over the tulle that, when moved, shimmered like the stars in the night sky.

It was also twice your price point. But that was what VISA cards were for, right?

Then your guide mentioned jewelry, and your mind went blank again. Also, you thought you heard your wallet start to cry. Luckily you’d already bought the Christmas presents for Eddie and your parents, because this was going to bankrupt you for a while.

The jewelry counter was dazzling. You ignored the lure of a tiara and settled for some brilliant cubic zirconia dangle earrings that would match the glitter in the dress, then made your retreat before the sales lady talked you into a matching shawl.

You had buyers remorse over the dress for three weeks before the big evening came around.

“C’mon, babe, let us see it!”

“I’m working on it!” you hollered back through the closed bathroom door as you finished doing your makeup, adding a final sweep of eyeliner.

You’d gone to the hair dresser that afternoon - a lovely lady who made a killing doing women’s hair for New Years Eve’s parties you were sure. It was delicately pinned up in an elegant updo with twists. A few strands hung loose to tickle your shoulders, and you had fought the urge to fiddle with it all evening.

Now, looking at yourself in the mirror was like looking at a stranger. You’d never been in a dress _or_ to a fancy party before. Hell, you’d skipped your own prom.

“Babe?” Eddie’s voice had taken on a worried note. “Look, if you don’t want to go–”

You shut him up by opening the door and stepping out. Luckily, you’d found some pretty heels that you could walk in without falling over every three seconds, so you didn’t even wobble.

You couldn’t, however, meet Eddie’s gaze. You just kinda stared at his chest and the pristine white dress shirt he was wearing - an actual shirt, not Venom masquerading as one. Noticed that he didn’t breathe for a long moment before his hands rose to gently cup your face, drawing your gaze.

“You’re _gorgeous_.”

Blackness rippled across his shoulders as Venom manifested his head on a black stalk. “GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT.”

You shivered at the insinuation and the memories that popped up. Really libido, not the time. “You really like it?” you murmured, mustering up a nervous smile when Eddie gave you a brilliant grin.

“We _love_ it. We’re going to have fun showing you off.”

“OURS.” Venom growled, and you giggled a bit when the symbiote darted in to delicately lick at your cheek, the grumpy look it made afterwards making you laugh outright.

“Sorry, Venom. Makeup.”

“BLEH. YOU DON’T EVEN SMELL LIKE US ANYMORE.”

“It’s the hairspray and perfume.”

The symbiote pouted. Actually _pouted_. “BUT WE LIKE IT WHEN YOU SMELL LIKE US.”

“It’s just for one evening,” Eddie reassured the alien as he turned to grab his blazer, pulling it on over his waistcoat and tie. Honestly, for someone who, like you, lived in jeans and tee shirts, he cleaned up awesomely. Hot damn.

After he’d finished adjusting his cuff links and re-adjusting his tie - for like, the fifth time - Eddie pulled a small velvet box out from under the bed’s mattress, holding it out to you nervously. “Happy New Year.”

“Eddie, what did you do?”

“It’s a ring. I mean, not a _ring_ ring. It is a ring, just not, _that kind_ of ring. It’s too soon for that, yeah? No? But, we saw it, and we thought of you and, y’know, we figured, why not, so we–”

He was cut off by Venom slapping a tendril over his mouth. “YOU’RE MAKING US LOOK BAD, EDDIE.”

Your hands shook a bit as you opened the box, eyes widening. It was a simple ring, but intricate. It had a black band, with white gold inlay that rose up, intertwining with the black to encase a simple blue stone. “Oh. It’s beautiful.”

“Here.” Eddie moved to slide it into your index finger. “This way there’s still room for, y’know, another ring. When it’s time.”

“You, sir, are a sap.” You rose up on your tip toes to kiss him, smiling against his lips when he wrapped his arms around you. “ _My_ sap, mind you. But still a sap.”

He rumbled a laugh against you. “Venom saw it first, actually. Literally took over and dragged me across a street and into the store. We got a lot of looks.”

A snicker left you and you quirked a brow at the hovering symbiote. “It that so?” You leaned in and pressed a kiss to the wicked fangs, laughing when he licked at your lips. “Well, thank you, Venom. It’s lovely.”

Tendrils reached out, curling around your waist, one sliding up your exposed back before starting to tug at your dress. “WE WANT TO SEE YOU WEARING IT AND NOTHING ELSE.”

Eddie bopped Venom on the head, then jerked his fingers out of reach of snapping fangs. “Told you: _later_.”

“HMPFT. FUNSUCKER.”

You snickered. “What?”

“A SUCKER OF FUN. FUNSUCKER.”

“Where the hell did you hear that?” Eddie demanded, though there was a warble of laughter to his voice.

“THOUGHT IT UP OURSELVES.” If symbiotes could preen, Venom was doing so. Smugly, too.

Biting your lip to keep from bursting out in giggles at the look on Eddie’s face, you turned and headed out of the bedroom. “You boys had better behave tonight. If we have to leave the party through the window and this dress gets ruined I’m making you sleep on the couch.”

“That won’t happen,” Eddie assured you as he followed you, Venom vanishing into his skin. “He promised: best behavior.”

“Uh huh.”

* * *

The cab ride downtown was uneventful, though the closer you go to the Empire State Building, the harder your left leg bounced nervously. It wasn’t until Eddie placed a warm hand over your knee that you realized what you’d been doing and wrangled your errant limb into control.

“You okay?” he murmured into your ear, warm breath making goosebumps shiver up your neck.

“Sure. Yup. Peachy.” You eyed his disbelieving look and huffed, hands tightening on the small clutch you’d brought to hold your makeup, lipstick and cash for the bar. “Just… Okay. I feel like someone has collected all the people who are most likely to make me self-conscious, stuck them all in one room and someone is coming to shove me in there and lock the door behind me so I can’t get out.”

Eddie huffed a laugh and leaned in to press a kiss to your cheek. “We’ll be in there with you. You say the word and we’ll come to the rescue.”

“That insinuates that you won’t be attached to my hip all night. Don’t leave me alone with those people, Eddie. You know my brain/mouth filter doesn’t work right when I’m stressed.”

“You’ll be _fine_. People are dying to meet the girl I’ve been gushing about.”

“Aw, you’ve been gushing about me? That’s sweet. But, you leave me alone with J.J and I’ll have to hurt you.”

“ _Kinky._ ” Eddie sent a glance towards the driver as he cleared his throat from the symbiote taking it over. “No one wants to be alone with Jameson, babe. Trust me. Not even his own employees like him. With the exception of Robbie, but Robbie’s got more patience than God.”

“Oh, goody.”

At least Eddie was aware of your dislike of J Jonah Jameson. The man seemed to have it out for Venom, as well as his favorite target - Spider-Man. Hell, the man had a decidedly anti-superhero view. It was slander, honestly, but there was no way to really prove it.

The only _good thing_ you liked about Jameson was that he didn’t take any shit from anyone - anti-mutant groups, organized crime, crooked politicians, hate groups - Jameson had told them all, in no uncertain terms, to kiss his ass.

Being on your best behavior was going to be tiresome.

The cab let you off in front of the Empire State Building, and you stared up, craning your neck back, to peer up at the very top of it. Honestly, once you’d seen it from the tip top down - thanks to a lovely date with Venom - seeing it from the ground lost something.

The inside was art deco, and meticulously clean, despite it’s tourist attraction status. You and Eddie rode an elevator up to a few floors shy of the top, both of you taking the time to nervously fiddle with your outfits and, in your case, use you little makeup mirror to make sure you looked alright. You barely managed to shove your compact back into your clutch when the doors slid open to a massive room packed full of people.

Eddie wound his arm around your waist - probably to stop any attempts at escape on your part - and gently steered you off the elevator.

You lost count at a hundred people. Everything was just a mass of conversations, fancy dresses, tuxedos and some sort of high class that made you feel woefully unprepared.

There were caterers walking among the crowd with various appetizers and flutes of champagne. Eddie snagged two glasses, handing you one before relocating his arm around your waist, keeping you from running when the first of what was to be many couples came to make small talk.

You turned out to be the talk of the evening - Eddie’s famous girlfriend that no one had met before. You somehow managed not to insert your foot into your mouth while answering endless questions about yourself, though you kept some things vague. Despite all the cheerfulness - these people were not your friends.

Still, it was kinda fun. You met some of Eddie’s work friends. They were all very nice and polite. Only Betty Brant stuck around to have an actual conversation with you. She was kind and funny, and, you noticed - with a little bit of inward glee - that Betty grimaced when J.J made his way towards you. Yay, a friend!

You panicked a little when Jameson pulled Eddie away from you, though thankfully, Betty took pity on your frazzled self and stayed nearby.

“He’ll schmooze himself to death,” Betty murmured around the lip of her own champagne glass, nodding to Jameson as the man showed Eddie off to some politician he had invited.

“I’m sorry. I am, but how can you work with him? I don’t know how Eddie does it. I’d have thrown something at his head by now.”

Betty laughed. “I _have_ actually. A stapler. He ducked.”

“Damn.”

“Smile ladies!”

You turned towards the voice and recoiled at the flash of a camera, blinking through the little flecks of light that occupied your vision for a moment.

“Whoops! Sorry! How about one with your eyes open?” You blinked a bit more, then focused on a man around Eddie’s age. Brown hair, hazel eyes, in a tux that was a little more used than the ones others were wearing.

Betty scowled a little. “Peter! Don’t ambush us like that!”

“Sorry. Sorry!” The man - Peter - let his camera hang on it’s strap and stuck a hand out to you. “Sorry about that. Peter Parker! You’re, uh, Eddie’s girl, right?”

“Yes.” You shook his hand, feeling the same kind of strength that you usually felt from Eddie in his grip. Though you wondered at the look of worry in his gaze. “Nice to meet you. You’re the one that takes all those shots of Spider-Man right?”

“Yeah, he’s the one,” Betty smiled before Peter could answer. “Our brave, Peter. He’s even gotten shots of that Venom monster.”

Your bristled a little at that. “As a previously single female in this City, I’d rather come up against Venom than a mugger,” you drawled, taking another sip of your champagne. “Out of everything I’ve heard about Venom, I’ve never heard of him hurting innocent people.”

Parker stared at you while Betty shrugged and said something about Venom being scarier. You stared right back at him, then groaned when movement beyond his form drew your attention. “Oh, hell. Jameson’s coming back.”

Peter glanced over his shoulder and winced. “I think he’s after me actually,” he muttered as Jameson neared.

“Parker! I told you to get pictures of people, not spend the evening gushing over the pretty girls!” God that man’s voice grated on your nerves. Though the anger in his voice lessened considerably as Parker scurried away, Jameson turning his attention onto you and Betty. “Ladies. I hope you’re enjoying the evening? Wait, you’re new, aren’t you?”

“She’s Eddie’s girl,” Betty, the traitor, told him.

“Ah! So _you’re_ the one Brock keeps talking about! Lovely, simply lovely.” You shook his hand, dutifully not flinching at the quick, crushing, pressure. “How are you enjoying the evening?”

“It’s amazing. Haven’t been to a party this lavish before. Especially a New Years Eve one.” Lay it on thick, girl. “Eddie says we have you to thank for hosting this?”

“Well, I like to make my employees feel wanted.” Betty started making faces at him behind his back and it took all your willpower not to laugh. She quickly reverted to a calm expression when he turned to look at her. “Now, if you ladies will excuse me. I think I saw the Mayor around here somewhere.”

“He’s over by the bar,” you told him with a smile. Because if _you_ had to put up with him then others had to as well.

“Ah! _There_ he is! Ladies. Enjoy the night.”

You let out a sigh as Jameson started easing his way through the crowd, then sent a glare at Betty, who tried to look innocent. “Mean.”

“Couldn’t help it,” she giggled. “You’re the only one who hasn’t lost it when I did that. Kudos!”

“Mean.”

“Aw, lighten up. Here, look, Eddie’s coming back.”

You looked over and yup, there he was, trying to make his way through the crowd. There was a odd shadow in his eyes that you recognized, it meant that Venom was close to the surface.

Worried, you lay a hand on his left arm once he was within reach. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry, Jameson wants me to do a story on this new big wig in town and _insisted_ that I meet him. You okay?”

“She passed the J.J. test. In that she talked to him without killing him,” Betty grinned.

Eddie smirked. “You made faces at him behind his back again, didn’t you?”

“Mayyybe.”

“Uh huh.” He curled an arm around your waist and pulled you close, leaning down to press a kiss to your cheek. “Saw that you met Parker.”

“Mr. Camera? Yup. Cornea searing experience. If he uses that picture I’ll kick his ass.”

Eddie’s warm chuckle rumbled into you. “Maybe you should leave that to me.” At your curious look, he merely grinned. Which meant that you were missing something, something big, and he wasn’t willing to divulge. Huh.

“So,” he murmured, “Food?”

“Food. Yes. Food would be good.”

He smiled and sent a glance towards Betty. “Care to join us?”

The brunette shook her head. “Nah. You two lovebirds go. I have to go find my date before he falls into another woman’s cleavage.”

“Well, kick him one for us girls, then,” you smirked, grinning at her laugh as a chuckling Eddie guided you over to one of the round dining tables that had been set up in the far corner of the massive room.

“Want anything special?” he asked as he held a chair out for you.

You sent a look over towards the buffet. “You know what I like. Just nothing fancy. No steam of carrot or paste of celery, please.”

“Those aren’t foods,” he laughed, and you stuck your tongue out at him as he headed for the buffet line.

You sighed, glad to be off your feet and out of the throng of bodies. Spent the time people-watching, eyeing the small band of musicians that were setting up. And couldn’t help but snicker when when you caught sight of Betty pouring a drink down a man’s pants. Boyfriend found guilty, apparently.

“There was no ‘paste of celery’ but they did have salmon,” Eddie announced as he returned with two plates moderately full of food. Salmon, some shrimp, and vegetables for you and roast beef, green beans, and Greek potatoes for him. “They’re serving caviar by the can full. I don’t know how J.J. can afford this.”

“Senior discount?” you offered playfully, innocently taking a bite of salmon when Eddie almost choked. “No?”

“Knowing him? It’s not completely out of the question.”

You had to say one thing about J.J. - he didn’t skimp on the quality of food. You and Eddie traded fork fulls of food throughout dinner, tasting each other’s meals. Dessert was a lavish cheesecake for you and three portions of chocolate mousse for Eddie.

It was while Eddie was hunting for more chocolate, probably to appease a grumpy symbiote, that you saw him run into Peter. There was obvious tension in the air between them, a short stare down, followed by Eddie giving the other man a pat on the back and… You narrowed your eyes. Yup. That was a tiny sliver of symbiote slicing the back of Peter’s tie off.

Peter looked down as his tie fluttered to the floor between his feet, and while his gaze was averted, another tiny symbiote tendril dropped something into his drink.

You groaned and shook your head. Boys.

“I saw that,” you murmured to Eddie when he returned with a big piece of chocolate cake and two forks. Across the room, Peter took a sip of his drink, went bright red, and slapped a hand over his mouth. He then shuffled over to a potted plant and dumped his drink into it. Poor plant.

“Saw what?” 

You rolled your eyes at Eddie’s look of complete innocence and plucked the offered fork out of his hand. “Is this some sort of male territorial, testosterone, thing?“

“What? Parker? Nah. Call it… A friendly rivalry.”

“Friendly rivalry.”

“Yup.” He ate a huge forkful of cake, humming at the rich taste.

“Uh huh.” Color you unconvinced.

You allowed him to distract you with cake, and small talk, his leg brushing yours and a symbiote tendril starting to inch up your calf, before both of you got distracted when more people came to introduce themselves to you and chat with Eddie.

Over the next hour, you caught some glimpses of Peter as he went around taking pictures and chatting with the guests - though more often than not J.J. would just materialize at his back like some demented genie and bark at him to go take more photos.

Eddie left once more to go get some more drinks, and you chatted with some other reporter that worked with him while he was gone. Though you weren’t so distracted that you didn’t catch Peter passing your boyfriend and tossing something at Eddie’s back.

Holy. Shit.

You knew webbing when you saw it.

“You’re going to want to take your blazer off,” you murmured to your boyfriend when he rejoined you and the other people had left to go dance on a recently cleared bit of floor.

“Hm? Why?”

“Because Spider-Man just attached something to it.”

He blinked at you, then shrugged his blazer off, scowling at the ‘kick me’ note that was webbed there. “Son of a– Wait. You said–”

You sipped at the whiskey that Eddie had gotten for you. “As someone who’s been tied up by webbing, I am quite capable of recognizing it,” you said, grinning wickedly when he blushed. “So. Friendly rivalry, hm?”

“We’re civil.” He shrugged at the disbelieving look you gave him, prying at the webbing on his blazer for a moment before giving up and just ripping the paper free, folding his jacket on the back of his chair afterwards. “Mostly.”

A smile tugged at your lips as you shook your head. “Uh huh.” Mystery solved, you held your left hand out to him. “Well, since I put on a dress for you, the least you could do is take me dancing.”

His eyes gleamed. “Yes, dear.”

Neither of you could really dance. You kinda just did your own thing, swaying to the slow music and making fools of yourselves when the pace changed to a waltz and you tripped over each other’s feet trying to copy everyone around you. It was a fun time full of laughter, and it seemed to lessen everyone else’s more stern countenances around you, until someone finally pulled out their phone and hooked it up to the sound system and put on some _real_ music.

The older generation didn’t look impressed. The younger folk without a stick up their arses grinned and just went with it. Amazingly, you saw a politician’s wife, who had to be pushing her mid-sixties, start to gyrate to a dubstep beat with her husband.

When another slow song started, you curled your arms around Eddie’s neck, pressed close, and rose up to kiss him, smiling against his lips. “You were right: this was fun.”

“And you were worried,” he teased, one arm around your waist while the other splayed across your bare back. “Plus, the night’s still young. It’s still an hour before midnight.” He waggled his eyebrows at you.

“We are _not_ having sex in another closet,” your admonished him with a giggle. “First off, you-know-who will want to get involved, and secondly, neither of us are quiet enough to get away with it.”

“Okay. So, we sneak out and celebrate at home.”

You snickered. “You’ll get in trouble.”

“It’ll be worth it.”

“There’s like, a hundred people between us and the elevator.”

“We can make it.”

“Sure—”

“Mind if I cut in?”

Both you and Eddie blinked, turning your heads to glare at the intruder. You recovered faster upon seeing that it was the Mayor. “O-Oh. Um.”

“Later,” Eddie murmured into your ear before pressing a kiss to your cheek. “Of course, Sir.”

You sent Eddie a worried look as he handed you off, his fingers giving yours a squeeze before he pulled away. You shifted nervously as the Mayor took your right hand in his and placed his other hand on your waist.

Lord, the symbiote must have been having a fit.

“As you’ve no doubt seen, I don’t know how to dance,” you warned him as another, slower type, of music started.

“Just follow my lead,” the man murmured with a reassuring smile. You let him guide you, trying hard not to step on his toes. “So, J.J. tells me that you’re Mr. Brock’s girlfriend. I owe Eddie a lot - he exposed corruption within the City Council. Some horrible mess involving a crime organization that I wasn’t aware of.”

“Eddie is very good at his job as an investigative reporter,” you answered neutrally, still trying to figure out the reason for such a comment. “He works hard to be worthy of his place at the Bugle.”

“And you my dear? What do you do?”

You tried not to wince. Goddamn it you didn’t want to talk about yourself. “Nothing as important, I’m afraid. I own a coffee shop near the Daily Bugle.”

“Ah. A small business owner. And at your age! You parents must be very proud.”

Help. “They are, Sir.” And when he looked expectant. “I worked very hard to get to where I am today.”

And then Mister Mayor’s hand slid a little lower than your hip. Much. Lower.

Okay, then.

Your tone was icy when you spoke next, eyes narrowing as you tightened the hand on his shoulder until he winced. “Sir, you may be the Mayor, but if you don’t get your hand off my ass, I’m going to have to break it.”

Wisely. He let go.

You shoved away from him and spun, pausing when you came face to face with his wife. Too pissed to bother with politeness or manners, you growled, “Your husband is a pig,” before pushing past her and going in search of Eddie.

Upon finding a lack of Eddie however, you reoriented and went for the bar, asking for a whiskey, neat, and then closing your shaking hands around the glass when it was offered to you.

“You okay?”

You jumped a little, ready to kick someone, deflating when you met Betty’s gaze. “Yes. No. Ugh?”

“I saw. If I makes you feel better, you’re the fifth one he’s tried to grope tonight.”

“I feel dirty.” You sipped at your whiskey, letting the warm feeling of expensive alcohol rush through you. “And homicidal.”

She laughed. “C’mon. We’ll go claim a table until Eddie comes back.”

“Comes back?”

“I think I saw him talking with Peter.”

“Hm.” Probably for the better. If the symbiote had seen the Mayor grope you, Venom would have the man’s entrails hanging from the ceiling by now.

Sighing, you found your table again, and dropped down onto a chair, sipping at your drink again. “I’m sorry, by the way. About your boyfriend.”

“Mnh. He wasn’t really my boyfriend. I just wanted a date for the evening. It’s no big deal, really.”

“But, it sucks?”

“But, it sucks. Yes.” She huffed, then sipped at her glass of white wine. “I just wanted a nice night out. On, New Year’s Eve.”

Well shit. You weren’t a matchmaker by any means, but. “What about, Peter?”

“Peter? Oh, we tried once.” Betty swirled the wine in it’s glass. “When he first joined the Bugle. It didn’t work out. He was nice, but… Honestly? Too married to his work. Always out taking pictures and stuff.”

“Ah.” Out taking pictures your ass. “Well… It’s New Year’s. You don’t necessarily have to commit to anything past a good time.”

She laughed. “Oh, I like you! Still, he’s not really my type. To be honest… I tried flirting with Eddie.”

“Who hasn’t flirted with Eddie?” you drawled with a smirk, grinning at the snicker Betty let out. You were secure enough with Eddie to know that neither he or the symbiote were interested in anyone other than you. It was touching and safe and something indescribable that made you melt. Not that you’d ever admit it.

“You’re a lucky girl,” Betty sighed, and you hid a smile by sipping at your drink. “Guys like him are hard to find. Speaking of, there’s your man now.”

‘Your man’ was politely turning a woman down for a dance. Said woman pouted when he turned away, and you spitefully stuck your tongue out at her when she glared at you. Haha, bitch.

Okay, so Venom’s possessiveness was, perhaps, rubbing off on you.

“I see your adoring fans are still flinging themselves at you,” Betty teased as Eddie took a seat next to you, reaching out to take your glass and steal a sip of whiskey.

“I wish they’d fling themselves somewhere else,” he muttered tiredly.

“Maybe I should start dating women again,” Betty mused, and you snickered when Eddie choked on his drink.

“Man problems,” you explained with a grin, patting him on the back. “Don’t worry about it.”

Eddie coughed a final time. “Right. Sure. Not worried. Nope. Not even going to ask. Just going to wait until my sinuses stop being on fire from the whiskey.”

You laughed, then glanced towards the elevator doors when they opened, blinking at the brief image of Peter Parker hanging, upside down, from the elevator’s ceiling, wrapped up in dark webbing. You met the poor man’s frantic gaze before the doors shut again.

What. The. Fuck.

No one else seemed to have noticed, Thank God. They were too busy dancing or drinking. You frowned and turned to look at Eddie, who had the good graces to at least look embarrassed.

Sigh.

“Civil, huh?” you murmured, rolling your eyes at his helpless shrug. Which meant that it was the symbiote that had taken the reins and decided to hang Peter in the elevator like a pinata.

Well, you’d just have to hope that Mr. Spider-Man could free himself, because there was no way you could convince either of your boyfriends to go help him. Not with all the witnesses around, at any rate.

You made small talk with an increasingly drunk Betty for a bit - you felt bad for her, honestly - though you kept an eye on the elevator and a firm hand on Eddie’s arm to keep him from wandering off again.

It took a while, almost fifteen minutes, before Parker made a reappearance, looking disheveled, rumpled, and pissed off. A sigh left you as he made an angry beeline for your table, Eddie tensing next to you when he saw the other man approach.

You never imagined you’d ever think it. But: Thank God for J.J.

That grumpy old man swooped in on Peter like flies to excrement, grabbed the poor man by the camera around his neck, and dragged him towards a group of politicians.

Phew.

“I’m going to head home,” Betty mumbled, weaving a little as she got to her feet, obviously a drunk. “New Year’s sucks ass. Men are pigs. Hurray single life. I wanna go bed.”

“You go with her,” you told Eddie, who blinked. Sighing, you leaned in so Betty wouldn’t overhear. “She is drunk off her ass. Go make sure she gets into a cab without passing out, please. I’ll wait for you here. Won’t even leave the chair. Promise.”

He side-eyed Betty as she stumbled towards the elevator. “Yeah. Okay. Be right back.” Eddie stole a quick kiss before hurrying after the brunette, taking her elbow and helping steady her as he led her to the elevator.

Alone again, you idly swirled the remainder of your whiskey in your glass, leaning back in your chair and crossing one leg over the other as you watched the thinning group of dancers on the floor. Almost everyone had migrated to various tables, grouping off, and you sent a death glare at the Mayor when he dared to glance in your direction.

“So.”

You jumped a little and turned your head, blinking up at Peter. “So?”

He huffed and dropped down onto the chair that Betty had vacated, keeping his voice low so others wouldn’t overhear. “Your boyfriend’s an asshole.”

“I think it’s a territorial thing, if that helps.”

“Not one bit.”

“Okay then.” You drank the last little bit of your whiskey, mourning that your glass was empty.

“You know what he is?”

One of your eyebrows arched upwards. “What _they_ are? Hard not to, dontcha think? I’ve been with them for six months. Also, you’re not subtle, with the webbing of notes to people’s jackets.” He paled a little, and you grinned. “Once a girl’s seen webbing, it’s impossible not to recognize it again.”

“I… don’t want to know. Seriously. No.”

You snickered. “Wuss.”

“Ugh. Bad mental images.” He made a show of lowering his head to bang it on the tabletop, groaning in mock pain. “My braaaain. Oh, god.”

A wicked grin spread across your lips. “It’s amazing what _he_ can do with that tongue–”

Peter jerked his head up so fast you worried about spinal damage. Grimacing, he pointed a finger at you. “ _Nope!_ No! Shh! Shush!”

Snickering, you folded your arms across your chest. “Seriously, it’s a territorial thing. They’re… possessive. So you might not want to be here when Eddie gets back from helping Betty to a cab.”

Worry lightened his hazel eyes. “What happened to Betty?”

“She got a little drunk after her date decided to get lost in someone else’s cleavage.”

“Ah.”

“I suggest you bring her flowers, tylenol and coffee when you see her next.”

He blinked. “We’re not dating.”

“No. But, you’re also not an asshole. She had a horrid New Year’s Eve, the least you can do is show her that not all men are pigs.” You waited while he digested that. “Also, she’s gonna be feeling like shit. Make her day better.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Parker sighed as J.J.’s voice echoed across the massive room. “I hate that man’s voice.”

“You go do your picture thing and I’ll distract my boys from picking on you. It’s almost midnight anyway. We’ll be gone soon.”

He rose, then paused, looking back at you. “You’re good for them, y’know. They’ve… mellowed. They… really seem to care about you.”

“I care about them a lot, too,” you admitted with a smile. “And, I’ll fuck up anyone who hurts them.”

Parker laughed. And it _was_ funny, because there you were, a mere human, threatening Spider-Man. But you knew who he really was, and he knew that. “Hah. I believe you,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Have a good New Year.”

“I will. You too.”

Eddie exited the elevator seconds after Peter left the table, and you smiled as you rose to meet him, slipping your arms around his waist. “Hey you.”

“Hey back.” He wrapped his arms around you, ducking his head for a kiss as people started the countdown to midnight. “Almost didn’t make it back in time.”

“I’d have forgiven you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Chuckling, he kissed you again. You heard a low growl that came from the symbiote as it extended some of itself to ease through the material of your dress, stroking your bare stomach. “Lucky us. So. Happy New Year?”

You grinned as the countdown reached it’s finale, people all around cheering and yelling and laughing. “Happy New Year.” You stole a kiss, then leaned in to whisper into his left ear. “Let’s get the hell out of here and celebrate.”

“Damn straight.”

.

.

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	37. Picking Up The Broken Pieces

Prompt - Hey, love your beautiful writing and how you portray venom as a cat (fucking love that shit!). If your open for story ideas, what about a reader who has sever anxiety and depression and is having a panic attack at the house after a long, mentally draining day? How would Eddie/Venom react to this? What would they try to do to make the reader feel better? Maybe some fluff to calm them down? (I’ve been having a ruff time mentally lately and need some Eddie/Venom overprotective fluff :>)

Warnings for mentions of depression, anxiety, panic attacks. Just in case.

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You’d once heard someone describe depression as a cancer of the soul.

Which, in a way, was true. It was inoperable, but could be controlled with medication, sometimes even wiped out completely, the patient going into a ‘remission’ of sorts.

It was a constant battle, and you were tired of it. Some days were better than others, naturally. But lately, too many problems had been piling up, weighing you down, making you teeter on the edge of an overwhelmed breakdown.

You could usually hide your mental illness behind a mask of cheerfulness. A carefully crafted costume of smiles, jokes and a fake upbeat attitude that hid the darkness within.

But work had been stressful - more than usual. Working in Customer Service at a Wal*Mart meant that you dealt with people at their most annoyed. Usually you could handle the complaints and snide remarks. Usually. 

But being screamed at that afternoon by an irate man had started a chain reaction, a spiral into depression and anxiety and self-loathing that you failed to to control. Once the reaction started, everything else just piled on: you’d dropped food onto your blouse - forcing you to wear it all afternoon amidst jokes from your coworkers -  had been forced to work at a cash due to someone else calling sick, had your shift extended by six hours, got sworn at by some woman, learned that your next two shifts had been cancelled because you’d logged in too many hours the week before, and then missed the last bus on your route.

Walking home in the dark, all you’d wanted to do was find a hole, curl up in it, and die.

The apartment was dark when you finally reached it almost an hour later, feet sore, a headache pounding in your temples, and shoulders so stiff you could have had someone break a chair over your back with little consequence.

Sighing, you kicked the apartment door shut, toed off your sneakers, flicked on some lights, then went to get changed. Shucking out of that damned blue vest was like having weight lift off of you, and you chucked it into a corner before changing into some yoga pants and a tee shirt. The laundry basket was overflowing, and you cringed at the sight before ignoring it completely and heading for the kitchen.

You needed a drink.

There was a bottle of wine in the fridge, and you grabbed it, and your favorite wine glass, before rummaging through the drawers for the corkscrew, your irritation rising with every failed search.

Finally found it wedged behind a ladle. Your headache was getting worse.

The cork was stubborn, and you had to fight with it, tugging and pulling and cursing, and when it _finally_ let go, popping out and spilling white wine over your hands, the recoil of the bottle knocked your wine glass off the counter, whereupon it shattered on the floor, sending shards of glass scattering across the tile.

You froze, staring down at the bits of your favorite wine glass. Slowly, like the the inevitable creeping of the tides, an unstoppable force rose in your chest. Inexorably, the first of many tears gathered in your eyes, your breath hitching in your chest, throat closing up. The first sob that left you was ragged, like a dying animal, and you crumpled, dropping down to sit on the floor, pulling your knees to your chest, your hands digging into your hair as you went utterly to pieces.

Eddie found you in that position who knows how long later, sitting amongst the destruction of every single last bit of you that had the ability to cope with life in it’s entirety.

Lucky for you, your boyfriend knew the perils of dealing with depression and anxiety. Dropping the bags of takeout onto the floor, he kicked the door shut then moved over to you, hands gently taking yours and pulling them out of your hair. Symbiote tendrils of the alien bonded to him gripped your fingers, giving you something to hold on to as Eddie deftly scooped you into his arms, picking you up like some lost, broken, thing, and carrying you over to the couch.

You were still unable to form words, just wheezing and shaking and sobbing and struggling for air, and you distantly felt him press a kiss to your forehead as he sat down, settled you onto his lap, and gently starting rocking you.

Blackness rose from Eddie’s skin, bleeding through the man’s clothing, the symbiote - Venom - reaching for you, wrapping you up in gentle warmth. One tendril rose to stroke your cheek and brush at your tears as you tried, helplessly, to even out your breathing, hiccuping as your diaphragm spasmed.

“Shh,” Eddie murmured to you, arms tighten around you as he pressed his cheek to your forehead, his stubble scritching across your skin. “It’s okay. We’ve got you.”

You clung to him, fingers gripping at his shirt and the symbiote, curling yourself into him. Pressed yourself as close as you could, feeling his arms cradle you, feeling the symbiote tighten around you, the sensations like an anchor, something solid and safe that you could use to pull what remained of your shattered psyche back together.

Slowly, you calmed enough to focus on Eddie’s breathing, the exaggerated breaths he was taking helping you to force your own lungs to match the rhythm. The symbiote shifted over your chest, undulating in time with Eddie’s breathing to help you keep track.

The extra oxygen helped calm you, your heartbeat slowing, the pounding in your head lessening as you slowly relaxed, your body drained and trembling, your mind brittle, unarmed and exposed, like a nerve. “I-I’m s-sorry–”

“None of that,” Eddie murmured to you, hugging you tighter, the symbiote massaging your back and shoulders, helping to calm the jitters that still made your muscles jump and quiver, the adrenaline from the attack still in your veins. “You want, Vee?”

You nodded, hesitantly, shivering when you felt the body against you grow, the symbiote tendrils around you leaving to add themselves to the mass of the whole. As soon as the transformation was over, a low, baritone, purring vibrated out of the massive form you were cradled against, one of Venom’s taloned hands rising to gently cup the side of your face.

“OUR POOR, MORSEL,” he murmured, licking at your face to clean up your tears. “DO WE NEED TO KILL ANYONE?”

“No,” you whispered, voice rough from crying. Sniffling, you rubbed at your eyes, then nuzzled into Venom’s chest, wrapping your arms around as much of his bulk as you could.

His purring ratcheted up a notch, one hand keeping you close while the other rose to your head, talons deftly undoing the braid you wore to work until he could run his fingers though your hair. The mix of the sound of his purring - a noise he only made for you - and the gentle sensation of him stroking your hair, talons tickling your scalp, helped unravel the last knots of stress and pain and anxiety in your chest.

It was only when you sighed, in exhaustion, in _relief_ , that Venom ducked his head to nuzzle at you, fangs endlessly gentle as he nipped at your lower lip. “BETTER?”

“Yeah.”

“WANT FOOD?”

Slowly, your sense of smell came back, and you could almost taste the aroma of Burgers and Fries from the restaurant nearby. “Sure.”

Where another person would have gotten up to retrieve the takeout, Venom merely lashed a tendril out, reaching across the apartment to snatch up the bags that Eddie had dropped. 

Black talons ripped open the bag before a can of soda was offered to you. You took it, feeling the condensation wet your palms as you cracked the drink open, taking a gulp of root beer. The cold liquid soothed your throat, and you sighed as you leaned your head against Venom’s chest again.

“Thank you,” you murmured, inciting a low rumble as Venom pulled a Styrofoam container out of the bag and ripped the cover off to reveal a pile of curly fries. 

“SHH. DON’T HAVE TO THANK US,” he soothed, holding the container out to you and letting you snag a fry. A handful of the curled potatoes vanished into his mouth, his tongue licking at his fangs. “MM. WANT TO TELL US?”

“Bad day.” Venom offered you another fry and you let him feed you. “Everything sucked at work: got screamed at, had to work a double shift because they put me on the cash, then I _lost_ two shifts because of the overtime they made me work last week, missed the last bus and when I got home I broke my favorite wine glass and everything just…” You mimed something exploding.

A grumble left him as he leaned down to nuzzle at the top of your head. “WE COULD HUNT DOWN YOUR BOSS.”

“Nah. He’s just as overworked as I am. I don’t think he’s seen his kids in a week. I just… I don’t know. I hate it there, but I need the job.”

Venom was quiet for a moment. “THEN LEAVE,” he rumbled, drawing your gaze. “DON’T STAY IN A PLACE THAT HURTS YOU, MORSEL. THERE ARE OTHER JOBS.”

You opened your mouth to protest, and he fed you a fry to shut you up.

“WE’RE SERIOUS, NIBBLE. WE HATE SEEING YOU HURT, AND THAT PLACE HURTS YOU. WE CAN’T _DO_ ANYTHING… OTHER THAN ADVISE YOU TO LEAVE.”

“We won’t be able to make rent if I don’t–”

“NIBBLE. LET US TAKE CARE OF YOU. EDDIE SAYS THAT HE HAS ‘SAVINGS’, WE WON’T LOSE THE NEST.”

Your fingers clenched around the can of pop in your hands, the thin metal creaking a little under your grip. “…You’re sure?”

He huffed a laugh and gently caught your chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting your head up so he could kiss you gently. “WE WOULD NEVER LIE TO YOU.”

If you were honest with yourself, you’d only been staying at the Wal*Mart to make rent. It was soul-sucking, demeaning, and the workplace was as toxic as it could get. “You’re really sure?” you asked again, because you needed to hear it again.

Venom chuckled, a tendril brushing at your cheek. “WE’RE SURE, OUR NIBBLE. NOW, EAT, AND AFTER, WE’LL BRING YOU WEBSLINGING. MAYBE OUT TO YOUR FAVORITE SPOT ON THE BRIDGE? YOU ALWAYS SMILE WHEN WE GO OUT TO SEE THE STARS.”

The thought of never having to go back to work - past the two weeks you’d have to endure after giving your notice - made a massive weight lift off your shoulders. 

Venom started purring again, offering you more food, and you relaxed as he fed you fries and then torn off pieces of the burger in the other container. It was pampering, is what it was. But, it felt nice to be taken care of - something that both Venom and Eddie excelled at.

You were drained, tired, still a little emotionally brittle, but safe in the knowledge that you had a rather powerful support team.

You could do this.

And if not, you could always send Venom to scare the shit out of people.

That was always a plus.

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	38. Carnage

Prompt - I don't know how much you know about the Carnage symbiote, but I'd like to see Venom's reaction to his morsel hosting it considering how much he hates Carnage and his overt violence. You need more info on Carnage, poke me, I have a lot of ideas. Heck, I might write 1

 

PG for Violence and mentions of Gore.

Okay, so Carnage. My knowledge goes from his ‘creation’ through ‘Maximum Carnage’ then bounces around a bit. 

EDIT - This thing was like pulling teeth for some reason! I kinda merged Movie and Comic in this, writing as if Carnage was like Movie!Venom. Sorry. The characters, they don’t listen O.o

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Everything had gone batshit crazy so fast.

It had just been a date. A simple, go out, have dinner, ice cream for dessert date. Then some crazy red-headed guy had appeared, cackling about having finally found his ‘daddy’ and things had just gotten weirder from there.

Eddie had shoved you behind a parked car, Venom quickly taking over, an enraged roar leaving him as he’d thrown himself at… Gods, it was another symbiote. Red like blood where Venom was inky blackness. It shared the crazy man’s voice, only slightly deeper, a little more crazed. 

You’d watched, from the dubious safety of the lee of a car, as the two fought. Venom was brute strength and otherworldly speed, the other symbiote ferocity and insanity rolled into one. It kept pausing in the fight to grab various bystanders and rip them apart, laughing manically all the while, making quips and jokes about murdering and ‘carnage’.

‘Carnage’. Oh. Oh no. You _knew_ this crazy fucker. Had read about him, had been warned by Eddie _and_ Venom that if he were to ever show up to just _run._

Yeah. Okay. Running. You could do that. 

Knowing that Venom could take care of himself - it wasn’t as if you were anything but a hindrance in a fight - you started to dart from shadow to shadow, slinking away from the battle. Screams and the wail of police sirens sounded around you as you ducked into an alleyway in time to avoid a thrown car, covering your mouth with your hands to muffle a scream when the flying Mazda slammed into another parked car, the cries of fright from the occupant within rising above the chaos.

Okay, you couldn’t _fight_ , but you could _help._

Panting, trying to keep a hold of the panic rising in you, you darted over to the people trapped in their car, grabbing the handle, trying to convince warped metal to open. The woman inside was freaking out, and you knew that she wouldn’t be able to hear you over the sounds of the fight, the screams and the sirens, so you didn’t try to tell her what you were doing as you ran around to the passenger door.

It wasn’t as warped, and you managed to wrench it open, leaning in. Saw red out of the corner of your eye, and threw yourself into the car to avoid a grab from a clawed hand. Heard Venom roar, gunshots, and joined the woman in huddling in fear as Carnage was tackled off of the roof of the car.

The woman next to you was curled up, whimpering, and you fought with the seatbelt button before wrenching it loose, freeing her. “Run!” you screamed into her face, grabbing her arm and pulling her out the passenger door with you, steadying her and then shoving her towards an alleyway.

Beyond the car, the way you’d run from, was chaos. Blood spatter was everywhere, cars overturned, crushed, bits and pieces of buildings and dead bodies littered the street, stunned and terrified people stumbled around, trying to revive others who were mortally wounded.

Screaming from behind you had you moving on autopilot, running for a store and darting in through the open door. You dove behind a display, crouching low, hands over your head, shuddering, trying not to make any noise.

A body flew through the window, Venom crashing to the ground and sliding deeper into the store. Red spikes were jutting from his chest, pale eyes narrowed in pain, and you met his gaze for a moment, saw the horror on his face, before he hauled himself to his feet, pulling the spikes from his chest. They disintegrated as they fell to the floor, and you saw Venom take a deep breath before he lunged through the shattered window, throwing himself back into the fight.

Obviously staying where you were wasn’t an option.

Gulping, you risked a glance, then scrambled out into the street when the view was clear, turning to sprint towards a quartet of police cars nearby. One of the officers grabbed you as you ran by, spinning you into him as he threw the two of you to the ground, and you screamed as another flying car sailed over. 

There was a dismayed “ **AW! I missed!** ” followed by maniacal laughter, and you shuddered. Crazy fucker.

“Lady, stay down.”

“The _fuck_ do you think I’ve been _doing?_ ” You hissed at the cop. “You guys have been hunting Venom for _weeks_ , where’s all the fancy sonic shit you’ve been using on him?”

“SWAT is five minutes out _._ ”

“We don’t _have_ five minutes!” you growled, ducking reflexively when another cop screamed out ‘ _incoming’._ You flattened yourself to the pavement as a hailstorm of red spikes came flying. Most of them hit and sunk into the cars around you, three made it past to hit various policemen. One was dead before the hit the ground, another took a spike in the leg, the third in the shoulder.

Cursing, you whipped your belt off and crawled over to the cop that had a spike in his thigh, using the faux leather belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The cop bit his lip enough to draw blood at the pain, but nodded to you in thanks, and you tried to muster up a smile, failing miserably.

That failed smile turned into a shriek as red tendrils lashed around your torso, the ground falling away as you were plucked up.

“ **Hey, hey, HEY! Don’t undo all my work, lady! He’s supposed to be _dead!_** ”

Another shriek left you as Carnage sent a knife-edged tendril into the cop’s chest, plucking out his heart when it pulled back. The still beating organ made you want to puke, and you twisted in Carnage’s hold, trying to wriggle free of the symbiote mass that was curled around you.

“ **Aw. You don’t appreciate my work either, huh?** **Everyone’s a critic! Right, Pops?** ” The last was a laugh directed at Venom, who had frozen when he’d caught sight of you in Carnage’s grip. “ **Too softhearted, daddy! Always worrying about these meatbags. Though…** ” 

You grimaced as Carnage leaned into you, pale eyes, different than Venom’s, more sharply defined, narrowing a little, as he actually _sniffed_ at you. “ **HEY! Well, whaddya know? Dad went native!** ” Carnage laughed, high pitched, unhinged **.** “ **Thought you smelled familiar! So, toots, you’re the meatbag ol’ pop’s flustered about, huh? Got a name sweet cheeks?** ”

You glanced past him, at the SWAT truck that screeched into view, and the guns that they were carrying as a dozen heavily armed men piled out of the truck. Grinned a little. “Fuck you, asshole.”

Those pale eyes narrowed a little, a knife edged tendril rising in front of your eyes. “ **You’ve got some spunk, kid. I’ll give you that. Wonder if you’ll still be as lippy once I pop out one of those pretty eyes and make you watch me chew on it?** ”

“FIRE!”

The shriek that left Carnage as the sonic wave hit him rattled your brains. His hold on you vanished and you dropped to the ground, landing on your hands and knees before you shoved yourself up and ran for cover.

Sonics sounded little worse than a high-pitched, nails on a chalkboard, noise to you, but to symbiotes - evidenced by Carnage’s writhing, screaming form - it was agonizing and potentially deadly. Watched from behind a dumpster as the man bonded to the alien contorted, seizing, arms flailing as he screamed in pain. The symbiote bubbled around him, tendrils trying desperately to hang onto it’s host, but the sound drove it back, away. You knew when it finally left the man, because his body stopped convulsing. 

The alien tried to flee the sound, and you rose and turned to run when it headed towards you. Got, maybe, fifteen feet before blood red tendrils lashed around your ankle, tripping you. You kicked out as you fell, trying to use your other foot to scrape the thing off of you as the red symbiote crawled up your body. Felt thoughts, alien, bloody, hungry, _murderous_ , start to ooze into your mind, and you screamed as it seeped through your clothes, through your skin and _into you_.

Venom found you kneeling in the alleyway, your hands gripping your head, rocking back and forth as you keened, a high-pitched whine. Your mind felt like it was on fire, alien thoughts trying to take over, thoughts of killing of _slaughtering_ , of breaking open bodies open one by one like cracking open crab legs making bile rise in the back of your throat.

“MORSEL?”

“Oh God, get away,” you whimpered, eyes clenched shut, tears streaming down your face. “It found me, it’s _inside_ me, I can’t stop it, it just wants to _kill_ everything, Jesus, it’s insane. Get it out, get it out, _get it out!!_ ”

A black taloned hand reached out to touch you, and you slapped it away, because the symbiote in you saw that Venom’s guard was down and it _screamed_ at you to take advantage, to get close and kill and rip the other symbiote away from it’s host and sink your teeth into a vulnerable throat and–

“ _No!_ ” You shoved yourself to your feet and stumbled away. If the Carnage symbiote hadn’t been as weak as it was from the sonics it would have taken over completely, the red talons that formed over your fingers twitching as you fought for control.

Hissing, you curled your hands into fists, the claws slicing into your palms. Bit your lower lip to stop the fangs from forming. God, you could feel it _writhe_ inside you angrily as it tried to take control, your entire body trembling as you fought to keep it from winning.

Your back hit the wall a moment later, and the symbiote in you focused your gaze on Venom, who was snarling as he pinned you to the brick.

“GET _OUT_ OF HER! SHE’S _OURS!_ ” 

Your hands jerked up to sink your newly formed, blood red, talons into his face, but you barely managed to clench the muscles in your arms, those claws twitching away. “V-Venom, get it out of me, oh, God, please, it’s crazy, all it wants is to kill everyone and it’s getting _stronger_ , Venom _please–_ ”

“ **…perfect host…”** left you in a lecherous purr, your voice gaining a psychotic, gleeful, tone. “ **So perfect. Might stay a while. Like it here. Like the ones that fight…** ”

“Goddamn it, shut the fuck up!” you screamed, banging your head back against the brick hard enough that it made you see stars.

“YOU CAN’T HAVE HER!” Venom snarled, his hands on your shoulders pressing hard, eyes narrowed into furious slits. “MORSEL! _FIGHT_ MORSEL. WE’LL BRING YOU TO THE MRI!” 

“No time! It’s– fuck!” You kicked Venom away with more strength than you’d ever had before, sending him flying backwards in time to avoid the talons that you’d swiped at his face. The alien inside you railed, screaming, setting your teeth on edge, like if you’d been chewing on aluminum foil. Every nerve ending felt like something was tugging on it, like you were a puppet, and you banged your head back against the brick again, the brief, unfocused, flit of time allowing you to scream - “Sonic gun! Get a fucking sonic gun!”

“ **NO!** ”

You opened your mouth to scream “ _Shut the fuck up, you fucking play-doh body snatcher!_ ” except nothing came out. Tried to yell, to scream, except it felt like a vise was squeezing your throat. And when the words finally came, they weren’t yours.

“ **Ours now! All ours!** ”

 _Like hell!_ It tried to have you lunge at Venom, and you gathered enough control to have your leg buckle, throwing you into a pile of garbage. You couldn’t get your body to work as a whole, but you could fuck up pieces at a time. Felt the symbiote’s anger, felt it’s unhinged _rage_ , and sent it the mental equivalent of a middle finger.

It _screamed_ in your head, and you screamed right back, feeling it sink daggers into your thoughts, tearing, rending, trying to silence you, to wipe out everything that made you _you_ , and you fought with everything you had, until the next scream came from _outside_.

The sonics ripped through you, and this time, your cry was vocal. It felt like every nerve ending was on fire, like the symbiote had sunk millions of tiny hooks into your very cells, and now that it was being driven out, it was taking all of them with it. 

Every muscle convulsed, every bone felt like it was breaking, the symbiote’s _shrieks_ of pain echoing in your skull until you couldn’t tell who was screaming louder, you or it.

There finally came a feeling like a great exhale, and suddenly you could breathe without screaming. You slumped to the dirty ground, entire body feeling like it had been smashed under one of those rollers that smoothed fresh pavement  onto the ground.

People rushed around you, shouting words that should of made sense but didn’t. Your blurry gaze focused on a group of them that ran to shove the red symbiote into a container, until someone shone a light into your eyes that made you grunt.

“Sarge! She’s alive!”

“Get her loaded up on the– Jesus Christ! _Get the sonics!_ ”

“GET OUT OF OUR WAY!”

Something grabbed you. The world tilted, the ground rushing away. Felt gravity take hold and groaned again as things swung, wind ruffling your hair before a hard landing jostled you.

“MORSEL?! MORSEL!”

You groaned, weakly, rolled your head on your neck until you could get your eyes gaze to focus on a black and white face. “V’em? Wha–” Everything jumped back into clarity, and you jerked your head up, almost bashing Venom in the face as your hands rose to clutch at your chest. “Is it gone?! Venom, is it–?!”

He stopped your shriek of terror by hugging you, tight, and you trembled as you threw your own arms around his neck, clinging to him. “GONE. CARNAGE IS GONE. CONTAINED, FOR NOW.”

You were hyperventilating a little, hiccuping for breath. “It’s crazy. It’s fucking, certifiably, crazy. I had in my brain and I feel dirty and gross and oh, God, let go I have to throw up.” You barely managed to wriggle free, stumbling over to the edge of the rooftop you were on and puking over the edge. Your entire body just wanted to make sure that _everything_ that wasn’t _you_ was gone, apparently, because you kept dry-heaving long after your stomach was empty.

Finally, shaking, you slumped to your knees on the flat roof, arms wrapping tight around yourself. Venom moved to kneel next to you, one large hand rising to gently brush his thumb across your cheek, and you closed your eyes as you leaned into the touch.

“I wanna go home,” you whispered, meeting Venom’s worried gaze as his hands settled on your shoulders again. “Take me home? I want a shower and then I need you to hold me for a while.”

He was unnaturally quiet as he nodded, gently picking you up and cradling you to his chest. Sirens still sounded in the area, people shouting, the wail of ambulances loud, more yells rising when Venom walked to the edge of the roof before leaping into the air.

The entire webslinging trip home was done in silence, Venom’s grip on you tight, as if he was afraid something would rip you out of his grasp. 

You’d never been more happy to see your apartment building before.

Once inside, you shucked out of your clothes on the way to the bathroom, not even caring where they landed. Took a moment to wash your mouth out with Listerine before going to spin the taps of the shower on, putting it as hot as you could stand before getting in. Venom had followed you, still silent, and now he stood awkwardly outside the shower enclosure, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

“You’re not coming in?” you asked as you started to scrub at yourself with a soaped up loofah, trying to get the feeling of being tainted by crazy off your skin.

He shifted a little. “STILL WANT US?”

“Still want–?” You frowned, then shot a hand out and grabbed his nearest wrist, tugging his unresisting form under the spray of the water. “ _You_ are not _Carnage_. Don’t you– Venom! How could you even _think_ that?!”

He huffed, hands automatically resting on your hips as he pulled you close. “HE’S OUR OFFSPRING. CAME FROM US.”

“He got fucked up by a psycho, is what happened. If he’d bonded with a host like Eddie, he’d be like _you_. A protector, not a…”

“MONSTER?”

Your eyes narrowed a little. “Now you listen to me, and listen good. You are not responsible for the evils of another. Your… ‘offspring’ got it’s head twisted up by a psychopath. Kasady is fucked in the head, like, _majorly_. _He’s_ the one that infected your ‘offspring’ with darkness, not you. I have had it inside my head. There’s nothing in there that’s even _remotely_ like you.”

He sighed, a great heave of breath, then leaned down to press his forehead to yours, pale eyes closing to mere slits. “SCARED US.”

You slid your hands up his arms until your were hugging him around the neck, pressing yourself up against him. “Scared me too,” you admitted softly, closing your eyes when he ducked his head to nuzzle at your shoulder, tendrils hesitantly reaching out to curl around your arms and legs, wrapping around your waist and hips. 

A sigh left you as you leaned into him, relaxing, the nightmarish memories in your brain calming when Venom rumbled, like a great cat, and hugged you close, lifting you off your feet as he straightened.

“I dunno if I can sleep, but… wanna go sprawl on the couch and watch a movie? Or one of those nature shows you like?” you murmured a few minutes later, mustering up a smile when he nodded, licking at a trail of water along the side of your neck before meeting your gaze.

“OURS,” Venom rumbled, raising a hand to your face, talons gentle against your skin. “RIGHT?”

“Damn straight.”

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	39. Fear (Tie in to 'Carnage')

The Carnage Prompt wouldn’t leave me, so I wrote this as a sort of sequel/tie-in. It’s not reader insert, but I hope you like it.

First part over [**here**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/38372255)

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It had been their worst nightmare.

Carnage, _there_. So close, _too_ close, to finding out about her. Their girlfriend - their love, if they were honest with themselves.

Eddie had shoved her behind a car before Venom had taken over. The fight, as it always was with Carnage, brutal. The other symbiote/host pair could do some real damage, fueled by rage and hate and just a special brand of crazy that neither Eddie or Venom wanted anything to do with.

There had been casualties. Even Venom hadn’t been able to stop Carnage’s killing spree, though he’d tried, putting himself into the line of fire over and over again. The Carnage had cut through pedestrians, bystanders and police alike, laughing all the while. The property damage alone must have been in the millions, the death toll less, but more heart breaking.

Venom had seen glimpses of her as he’d fought, seen her dart from cover to cover, trying to stay out of sight, though that hadn’t lasted long. Their girl had inevitably ignored her own safety and left the shadows to help others, pulling a woman from a car, then ushering others into an alleyway, safe from flying debris and Carnage’s sight.

When she’d joined the police, Venom had thought her finally safe. The cars, at the very least, would provide shelter from Carnage’s ability to throw out pieces of his symbiote in the form of spikes, axes, any sort of weapon he could think of. Venom had taken more than his share of those attacks, and he could feel Eddie’s anxiety as he pulled yet another spike from his chest, tossing it aside before throwing himself back into the fray.

But she had a heart of gold. So when Carnage attacked the police directly, she’d rushed to help the injured, and it had gotten the psychopath’s attention. Venom wasn’t used to feeling terror, but the fear he’d felt when Carnage had held her up into the air, one knife-edge tendril rising to hover menacingly in front of her face…

Too slow. They were too far away!

Venom never thought he’d be grateful for a SWAT team packing sonic disruptors.

She’d dropped to her knees in the street, then ran for it, and finally, Venom allowed himself to breath again, feeling the ache of his human half’s lungs deep inside.

And then his world had been knocked out from under him when he’d discovered that the red symbiote had left Kadasy and ended up in her. 

His horror had been completely unmatched for hers. She’d scratched at her chest, screaming, terrified. Venom had seen hosts fight against symbiotes before, but never from the _outside_. The Carnage symbiote had tried to manifest, to attack, and he’d just stood there, willing to take the blow, because he couldn’t bring himself to attack her, but she’d fought, somehow, and screamed at him to get a sonic gun…

It had been Eddie that had taken over then. And Venom had let him, letting his human half do what he couldn’t.

Eddie had run out to the SWAT team, screaming that the red symbiote had taken over a woman - keeping secret that she was his.

The sight and sounds of her screaming and writhing and convulsing when the sonics had been turned on her had made Eddie clench his eyes shut, unable to watch. He’d felt his symbiote curl around him tight, in a hug or for support, he didn’t know.

Only when silence fell did Venom take over again, shoving past the SWAT team, snarling at them, scooping her up into his arms and retreating to the safety of the rooftops, bounding across them until he was certain that they were safe again.  
She’d been shaking and terrified and genuinely horrified. Venom had held onto her as tight as he dared, talons pricking through her clothes, only letting go when she’d pushed him away and been sick.

Afterward, Venom had carried her home, back to the apartment, where it was safest. He could protect her there, keep her safe from the outside world. She’d made a beeline for the shower, shucking clothes as she went, and while both Venom and his host liked seeing her naked, now, it just made her look so much more vulnerable.

She’d been roughly scrubbing herself raw, as if to scrape off the feel of Carnage from her skin, and Venom had hesitated, unsure for once. Would she even want him to touch her again, he was symbiote after all, and she’d seen and experienced the worst his species could muster up, the worst part of him, because Carnage was his doing. His offspring.

Eddie had scolded him from within at the same time that she had as she’d pulled him into the spray of the shower, the warmth of the water cascading over them both as he’d hugged her tight. She’d still been shaking a little, her eyes shadowed, and he’d hissed softly. There was no telling what she’d seen, what the red symbiote had shown her or said to her, though both he and Eddie knew that it wasn’t good.

Afterwards, Venom had held her tight, cuddling with her on the couch. She didn’t sleep, didn’t talk, just stared at the TV without really seeing it. It broke something in him to see that he’d failed in protecting her, because a part of her had been hurt, and there was no fixing it, not really. Not in any way that he could help with.

Her first nightmare came that night, only a handful of minutes after she’d finally fallen asleep. She’d woken, screaming in terror, clawing at her chest, tears running down her face. They hadn’t been asleep. Both he and Eddie had been waiting, knowing what would happen, and had been ready to hold her and rock her until she’d calmed, sobbing softly against Eddie’s chest while Venom had wrapped himself around both his host and her, trying, desperately, to reassure her that she was safe.

But there was no magic button to undo things, no way to block out what she’d seen and experienced while briefly hosting the insane symbiote. All they could do was be there for her and pick up the pieces of her broken psyche.

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	40. Sacrifice

Prompt - hi! i’m unsure if requests are open or if you even take requests, but I love all your fics! I was wondering if you could write a soulmate au with eddie where the reader is eddie’s soulmate but venom actually has someone else as a soulmate? I feel like that would be interesting to read to see how they deal with it! you don’t have to write this if you don’t want! I still love and enjoy all your other fics!

I hope I did this justice! It was a new thing to wrap my brain around! This is more Movieverse related.

EDIT - I started out wanting angst and things turned into fluff.

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Soul Mates had been around long before you’d been born. Everyone was obsessed with finding the person that belonged to the name that was ‘tattooed’ onto some part of their body. Everyone had a name, except for those whose Soul Mate had died, something that left them a little broken, because they knew that their perfect match was gone forever.

But this…. _this_ was new. You’d never heard of something like this before.

Okay, you’d gotten over the fact that your Soul Mate was now bonded to an alien symbiote. It had taken some time and a lot of whiskey, but you’d managed. Eddie was still Eddie. Still the funny, hard working, sometimes bullheaded, but sweet man you’d found by accident at a corner store in the middle of San Francisco.

But the alien. The symbiote. _Venom._ That was new. And the name it had that _wasn’t yours_ , that was _really_ weird.

“I just… are you sure?” you asked, softly, unbelieving. 

Eddie looked down at his arm as Venom curled itself around his forearm, the small white letters on it’s inky mass aligning to form a name. “Y-Yeah. He’s… He’s definitely got someone elses name on him.”

“Oh my god.” You dropped your face into your hands for a moment, then, when you looked up again, saw that Venom formed a head on a stalk off of Eddie’s shoulder, his pale gaze fixed on you. “So, then… “ You took a breath, held it, then dove in. “Then we’ll just have to find them.”

A sigh left Eddie as he rose his hands into his hair and started pacing. “Okay. Okay. So, we find them and, what? Venom, you gonna bond to them instead of me?”

The alien huffed. “WHAT PART OF THE WORD ‘BONDED’ DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND, EDDIE? WE ARE ONE.”

“I don’t understand most of it!” the man yelled, kicking at a wall then stiffening, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “How can we have two different Soul Mates?!”

You sighed and rose up to step over to him, reaching out to touch his arm. “Eddie…”

He spun and took hold of your shoulders, eyes wide, panicked. “I’m not giving you up. I’m _not_.”

“Hey…” You were very aware of Venom’s gaze on the two of you as you rose your hands to Eddie’s face, leaning into press a kiss to his lips. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere, okay? This is… _different_. But we’ll figure it out.”

His breath left him slowly as he exhaled through his nose, nodding slowly, his hands spasming on your shoulders before he slid his palms down your arms. “Okay. Okay, yeah.”

Smiling a little, you glanced at Venom, who had been unnaturally silent throughout the exchange. “You’re quiet.”

“THINKING,” the symbiote rumbled, eyeing Eddie. “DON’T WANT TO HURT EDDIE, AND IF FINDING THIS SOUL MATE HURTS EDDIE–”

Eddie frowned, catching on before you did. “Bud, _no_. You are _not_ giving up finding your Soul Mate just because of me.”

“Absolutely not,” you frowned, drawing that unearthly pale gaze.

Venom frowned. “BUT MORSEL, WE DON’T EVEN _KNOW_ THIS PERSON. WE LIKE _YOU_. SYMBIOTES ARE SUPPOSED TO _HELP_ THEIR HOST, NOT EMOTIONALLY TEAR THEM APART.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Eddie huffed with a shake of his head. “It’s just… the dynamics. If we weren’t sharing a body it’d be easier. I just… I’d feel like I was cheating.”

“THEN IT IS BETTER FOR US NOT TO FIND THIS PERSON.”

“Okay. Okay, wait,” you soothed, trying to be the voice of reason. “Let’s… not do something drastic. This is _important_ , Venom. We’re talking about your _Soul Mate_. You can’t just… throw that opportunity away.”

Blackness rippled and Eddie managed to loose a startled noise before Venom took over completely, encasing the man in his mass. Only when the transformation was complete did Venom move over to you, leaning down to lick at your cheek. “WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO MORSEL. EDDIE LOVES YOU. WE SHARE EVERYTHING WITH OUR HOST AND VICE VERSA. FINDING THIS ‘SOUL MATE’ WILL TEAR EDDIE APART, WILL _HURT_ HIM. WILL HURT _US_.”

You reached up to brush your fingers across his cheek, smiling a little when he rumbled lowly and leaned into the touch. “Not finding this person might hurt _you_. You matter in this equation too, Venom.”

“WE HAVE YOU. YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH, OUR MORSEL.”

“But, I’m not your Soul Mate.”

“YOU ARE EDDIE’S MATE. WE ARE PART OF EDDIE. NO NAME WILL CHANGE THAT, WILL IT?”

“…no. No, it won’t. I just… I don’t want you to miss out on finding your Soul Mate, Venom. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice this for Eddie and I. It isn’t fair.”

He rumbled again, arms wrapping around your waist to lift you off your feet, tendrils coiling around your arms and legs, tucking you close. “NOT A SACRIFICE. WE HAVE YOU, DON’T WE? YOU ARE NOT AFRAID OF US?”

You smiled a little. “Of course I’m not afraid of you, Venom.”

“THIS OTHER PERSON DOES NOT KNOW US AS YOU DO,” Venom continued, nuzzling at the side of your neck with a thunderous purr. “WOULD BE AFRAID. NO GUARANTEE THAT THEY WOULD WANT US.”

“Venom…”

He shut you up with a nip to your jawline, then licked at the same spot to sooth the feeling of sharp fangs against your skin. “WE CHOOSE YOU, NIBBLE. THIS LIFE, IT IS GOOD. SO GOOD. MORE THAN WE COULD HAVE ASKED FOR. MORE THAN WE DESERVE.”

You sighed, leaning into him, curling your arms around his neck and hugging him tight. “Eddie and I don’t deserve you. Just… promise me something?”

“OF COURSE.”

“If we ever stumble across them, if you _know_ , like I knew with Eddie, you _tell us_. Right away.”

A chuckle rumbled out of him. “STUBBORN, MORSEL. ALRIGHT.”

“ _Promise.”  
_

“WE _PROMISE_.”

“Good. And… thank you.” You pressed a kiss to his fangs, smiling a little when he licked at your cheek in return.  "What you’re doing for Eddie and I… We’ll never be able to repay you.“

“YOU CAN REPAY US WITH CHOCOLATE. AND TATER TOTS. AND MAYBE A NICE _CRUNCHY_ BAD GUY HEAD ONCE AND A WHILE.”

You laughed. “I can get the first two but you have to talk to Eddie about the third.”

“HE SAYS ‘YES’. _OW_.” He rose a large hand to his head, rubbing at his temple, and you knew that Eddie had screamed something at him. “OKAY, TECHNICALLY HE SAID ‘MAYBE’.”

Your lips quirked. “I figured.”

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	41. What a Workout! (NSFW)

Prompt - Hey, if you’re still doing Venom/Eddie Brock x Reader requests, what about one where Eddie and the reader do a couple’s workout (those are a thing, right?)? Somewhere along the way either the reader or Eddie gets a little handsy while spotting for/helping the other out, they start flirting/teasing each other, and then.....feel free to make what happens next as NSFW (or not) as you like.

Hope this is good enough :)

And yes, it’s NSFW! Enjoy!

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To say you’d been happy upon discovering a small gym in the basement of your apartment building had been an understatement. No more gym memberships and getting oogled by idiots for you! Yay!

You’d gotten into a routine. Work was stressful, so when you’d get home, you’d get changed, then head down to the small workout room and exercise until the urge to scream at everyone was replaced by an accomplished tiredness.

Usually dating was something of a crap-shoot. Men didn’t always like dating a woman who was strong enough to lay them out with one punch. So dating Eddie Brock, that was a surprise. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. He hadn’t batted an eye when you’d expressed interest in the weight lifting setup he’d had at his apartment the first time he’d invited you over for dinner.

The two of you had bonded a little more while telling stories about fucked up adventures at gyms and the jocks that usually gathered there.

And then blackness had coalesced over his shoulder, a fanged maw appearing as black tendrils reached for the last of the grilled chicken. You’d frozen, forgetting to do normal things like, _breathe_. Merely watched as Eddie had swatted at his… ‘growth?’, berating it - him? - for not staying hidden.

Learned that it was a symbiote, that it was bonded to Eddie, named Venom, and was rather fond of you, though Eddie had made him promise to stay hidden… at least until the alien had gotten hungry.

The first _real_ time you’d met Venom, when blackness had encased Eddie, his form expanding with muscle, towering over you at almost seven feet, pale eyes crinkling a little as fangs spread into an almost terrifying grin, you’d actually ‘eeped’, fighting the urge to turn and run.

But, as it turned out, Venom was… sweet. In his own way. Possessive, yes. Dangerous, certainly. But perfectly safe to be around if he liked someone. And he liked you. A lot.

Now, the two (three?) of you had moved in together - into your apartment because Eddie’s old place had cockroaches (ew). It had taken a bit for all of you to get into some sort of sync, working around each other, figuring out each other’s timetables.

It was after a particularly long day at work that you came home to an empty apartment, sighing as you dropped your bag onto the floor before kicking out of your heels.

Stressed, shoulders full of knots and tension, you went straight for the bedroom, shucking out of your office wear and changing into some brightly coloured yoga pants and a tank top over a sports bra. Humming, you twisted your hair up into a ponytail, then went to slip into your Sketchers sneakers, pausing only long enough to grab a bottle of water from the fridge before heading out again.

The elevator ride to the basement didn’t take long, and you quirked a brow when the doors slid open, hearing even breaths and the sounds of weights being lifted from the direction of the small gym.

“Please don’t let it be that asshole from 5B,” you muttered under your breath, fully intending to skip your workout if it was. Last thing you needed was to be leered at and propositioned by some hairy bastard who stunk of cheap aftershave and bourbon.

But your grimace of distaste faded when you turned the corner and peeked into the small room, a smile tugging at your lips when you saw Eddie at the bench press, doing reps with a ridiculously weighted barbell. Obviously, you stood there and took a good look. You were allowed, you figured. You _were_ dating him.

“Enjoying the view?” Eddie greeted in between reps, holding the barbell up as he raised his head a little to wink at you, and you snickered as you stepped into the gym.

“Very much,” you purred as you headed over to the treadmill, taking another peek at his chest and abs as you passed him. You always appreciated it when he worked out shirtless. “It’s a nice view.”

“Uh huh. Oh, Vee says ‘hi’.”

“Hi, Venom.” Humming, you set your bottle of water into the holder, then stepped onto the treadmill, jabbing at the control panel until it started moving at a quick rate. It was always your first go to. Running helped you warm up, and as you focused on a splotch on the far wall, you let your mind go blank. It always calmed you. You could empty your overactive brain, hyper-focusing on your breathing and the steady thump of your feet on the treadmill as you ran.

You appreciated that Eddie always waited for you to instigate conversation during workouts, merely keeping to himself until you’d reached a sort of ‘zen’ that allowed you to converse with humanity again without constantly visualizing your hands wrapping around someone’s throat.

“You’re home early,” you panted after a good fifteen minutes of running, the feeling of your ponytail swaying back and forth cooling some of the sweat on the back of your neck. 

“Can’t really do much investigating in the daytime,” Eddie said inbetween reps, breathing even, controlled. “Not on this one. Most drug traffickers prefer to work at night. Ven might even get a meal out of it.”

Your lips twisted a little, but you didn’t say anything. You weren’t completely comfortable with Venom actually _eating_ people - though apparently he’d cut down. At least it was only criminals and ‘bad guys’. Still, it kinda put a crimp into the hesitant plans you’d made for that night. “Boo. I was hoping we could order takeout and watch some scary movies.”

He paused, considering, probably mentally talking with Venom, before he sent a smile your way. “Well, we can do the takeout, and maybe one flick?”

You grinned. “Deal.” And then. “Where’d they put the chin-up bar?”

“Uhh…” Eddie tilted his head back to peer at the wall, and the holes where the bolts used to hold the chin up bar to the cinder-block. “We think it’s gone, babe.”

“Well, crap.”

“Wanna give this a go? We’ll spot you.”

You gave that some thought before thumbing the controls on the treadmill, slowing it to a stop. “You’re going to have to take off some of those weighted plates, otherwise it’ll squish me.”

He actually laughed as he set the barbell onto the stand, sitting up on the bench to grin at you. “As if we’d let it ‘squish’ you. C’mere.” He patted the empty space of the bench in front of him.

Smiling, you moved to straddle the bit of bench in front of him, shivering a little when Eddie rose his hands to cup your face, eyes mischievous as he leaned in to kiss you. He playfully nipped at your lower lip, pulling away with a smirk when you shivered, your breath hitching a little.

“Long day?” he murmured as he rest his hands on your knees, lightly rubbing up and down your thighs.

“Kinda. Just… glad to be home,” you admitted, looping your arms around his neck and leaning into him. He wasn’t even sweaty, the showoff. You, meanwhile, probably smelled. Nervous, you pulled away again, fidgeting a little. “So… weights?”

Eddie narrowed his eyes at you a little, reporter’s instincts probably poked by your new anxiety, but he thankfully didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned in to press a kiss to your forehead before rising up off the bench, pausing to wipe a towel over it before gesturing to you. “Okay, lie down. I’ll take the weights down to twenty kilograms”

“Pfft. I can lift that,” you muttered as you shifted and lay down on the bench, shifting a little until you were settled. 

“Babe….”

“Do you want people to find out how ticklish you are? Because I can and _will_ make a scene next time we’re out.”

There was a low, unearthly, chuckle as Venom’s face and head materialized on a black stalk. “THREATS. DELICIOUS THREATS. OUR NIBBLE IS FEISTY TODAY!”

Eddie rolled his eyes as he picked the barbell off it’s brace and moved to set it on the floor so he could safely change the weights. “Twenty five. That’s it. You’re still a beginner. This uses different muscles than doing chin ups.”

“WE CAN THINK OF SOME MUSCLES TO USE,” Venom purred, eyeing you where you were lying on the bench, and you couldn’t stop the blush that coloured your face and neck.

“Horndog,” Eddie muttered with a smirk as took some of the weighted plates off the barbell.

“DON’T LIKE THOSE,” Venom hissed, eyeing you and Eddie when the two of you broke out laughing. “WHAT?”

“ _Horn_ dog, not _corn_ dog,” Eddie chuckled. “It means… Y’know what? It doesn’t matter. Don’t distract me, I don’t want to drop this on her.”

Black tendrils lashed around the bar as Eddie lifted it back up onto the braces. “THERE WILL BE NO DROPPING OF THINGS ON OUR MORSEL.”

Your lips quirked at the symbiote’s protectiveness, and you flashed a smile at Eddie when he rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Venom,” you chirped.

While Venom preened, Eddie gestured for you to take hold of the weights. “Okay, shift up a little until your eyes are level with the bar, good. Feet on the floor, and when you lift the weights back up, keep your butt on the bench. When you lower the bar, tuck your elbows a little, otherwise if you flare them out you’ll fuck up your shoulders. And keep your arms vertical to the floor, kay? Ready?”

You nodded, “Yeah.”

“We’re gonna take the weight of the first rep so you can get the feel of where to put your elbows and arms, okay? Just as a practice.”

“Alright.” You waited until he shifted and nodded, then did the practice lift, adjusting your elbows when Eddie gently told you to correct the angles. Only when he was satisfied did he let you take the full weight of the barbell. You could handle it, easy, but as you controlled it’s descent, you could feel the different muscles work. You were reassured by Eddie and Venom’s grips on the weights that they’d take over if something happened, so didn’t stop as you rose it again, controlling your breathing as you did so.

Eddie stopped you at five reps, and you blinked up at him curiously. “Don’t want you to overdo it.”

“Eddie….” You gave him the puppy dog look. Complete with wibbling lower lip.

Venom snickered.

“Nope. No way.”

“Pwese?”

“Nuh uh.”

“But that was like, nothing!”

He held your gaze for a long moment, then sighed. “Fine. Five more.”

“Yay!” You pointedly didn’t say anything when he rolled his eyes at you, merely snuggled back into the bench before lifting the bar again and doing a rep. Naturally, Eddie stopped you immediately at five reps, though you noticed that a certain - ahem - part of him seemed a little more interested than others.

“WE LOVE WATCHING YOU DO THAT,” Venom grinned from Eddie’s left shoulder, dodging a swat that Eddie aimed at him.

“I can tell,” you drawled as you sat up, twisting to smirk at Eddie. “Need some help there, hun?”

“You’re both _horrible_ ,” Eddie growled, though there was no real anger in his voice as he moved to stand in front of you, exhaling heavily when you teasingly plucked at the waistband of his workout shorts. “Evil.”

“HE LIKES IT.”

“Oh my God, Venom, shut up.”

“YOU’RE THINKING IT!”

“You don’t have to _tell_ her that!”

Snickering, you stood and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s mouth, drawing his attention back to you. “So is that a ‘no’ on the help? Cuz, I can just go upstairs on my own.”

“Evil,” Eddie repeated as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you flush against him and groaning when you teasingly slid a hand down to palm his hardening cock though his shorts. “F-fuck! O-okay, yeah, upstairs.”

You laughed as he grabbed your hand and pulled you after him as he power-walked to the elevator, Venom vanishing into his skin just in case you met anyone on the way up. Eddie hit the button with one hand while the other went to the back of your head, pulling you in for a heated kiss that made a shiver wind it’s way up your spine.

The doors slid open, and Eddie backed you into it, your breath leaving you in a grunt when your back hit the wall of the elevator. He left you long enough to hit the appropriate floor number, then went back to kissing you breathless, chuckling against you when you whimpered and curled your arms around his neck to keep him close.

Little black tendrils rose from Eddie’s skin to reach for you, curling around your arms and legs and waist, pulling you flush against him, one tendril lowering to knead at your ass. 

It wasn’t until Eddie lowered his head to nip at your shoulder with teeth that were sharper than usual that you tried to get some sort of handle on the situation, blinking when you saw that Venom was almost completely covering the man’s torso. “Hun. Maybe not in the elevator.”

“Mmhm,” Eddie mumbled against you, and you shivered, tilting your head back when he kissed a trail up the side of your throat.

“Yeah. But just… _not in the elevator._ ” _  
_

His right hand tugged at your tank top and sports bra, and you threw your head back, banging it against the elevator wall when he freed your right breast and immediately pulled your nipple into his mouth, nipping and licking and suckling and goddamn you were not about to have sex in an elevator.

When the doors finally opened, you pushed Eddie out into the hallway, the two of you stumbling towards the apartment door. You fumbled for the key, trying to reorient your thoughts, glaring at Eddie a bit when he chuckled and reached into the pocket of your yoga pants to retrieve the key. 

“Asshole.”

“You love us,” he grinned, kissing you again while a symbiote tendril took the key and opened the door. Eddie groaned against you, hands dropping to your ass, lifting you a little to meet the slow roll of his hips.

“C-Can’t imagine why,” you panted with a smirk, shuddering when he ground himself against you again.

One the door was open, the two of you stumbled in and headed towards the bedroom, shedding clothes while trying not to lose contact or trip each other the entire way. Eddie’s pulled the clip out of your hair, hands running through the tresses as he kissed you again. Then his mouth was on yours, hands kneading and clutching and trying to help you out of your workout clothes. 

The two of you fell onto the bed in a tangle of naked bodies and laughter, Eddie’s eyes bright as he crawled over you, bracing himself on his elbows as he leaned down to kiss you again. Bits of the symbiote extended to wrap around the two of you, Venom, oddly enough, only materializing tendrils to touch and caress instead of taking over as he usually did.

Your hands slid into his hair as he trailed kisses down to your chest, his left hand skimming down across your stomach until he could thumb at your clit. Gasping, hearing his pleased chuckle as he teasingly sucked at your right nipple, you arched towards him, eyes sliding shut when he slid a couple of fingers into you.

Deciding that turnabout was fair play, you freed your right hand from his hair and reached down to curl your fingers around his cock, stroking slowly, meeting his dark gaze with a wicked grin when he rose his head to look at you.

“Evil,” he gasped when you swirled your thumb over the head of him. “Completely evil.”

“Learned from the best,” you purred into his ear, nipping at the shell of it.

“Vee’s a horrible influence on you,” Eddie grumbled, yelping when a tendril whacked him upside the head. “OW! Hey!”

You reoriented his attention by pumping him a few times, snickering when he trembled, hands clutching at you. “You two gonna fight or are you going to leave me hanging? Cuz I can just go take a shower and– Ah! Fuck!” The last was due to the fact that Eddie had taken his fingers away from you, shifted, and thrust into you.

Groaning, you tilted your head back into the pillows, biting at your lower lip. So different from Venom, but so, so fucking good. You curled your legs around him as he started to move, panting as you tugged him close so you could kiss him, needy and breathless.

“Fuck, you feel good,” Eddie gasped against your mouth. Symbiote tendrils coiled around the two of you, grasping and pulling, encouraging you to move in rhythm with Eddie. More rose up to touch both of your faces, wrapping around your arms and legs, warm and possessive.

Eddie shifted a little, sliding a hand between your bodies, and you cried out when he started rubbing your clit in time with his thrusts. Your back arched at the sensation, hearing his groan as he rubbed his stubbled cheek against yours, breath hot against your skin.

“…please, please, _please_ …” Your legs tightened around his waist as you started to tremble, pleasure rising, hands clutching at him, trying to pull him closer. The coil in your belly tightened a little more, everything centering on the feeling of Eddie moving within you, the sounds the two of you were making, Venom’s coils around you, Eddie’s fingers on your clit–

You came with a cry, shuddering, fingers digging into Eddie’s back. Heard him growl something, felt his steady thrusts stutter before he pounded into you a final five times, his face pressed to your shoulder as he climaxed.

For a minute, the only sound in the room was that of your combined breathing before Eddie groaned and rose his head to kiss you, lazily, one hand moving to smooth your sweaty bangs from your face. “Mmm. Love ya, babe.”

“Love you too,” you murmured, before snickering. “Y’know, if this is what happens every time you let me use the bench press, we might have to invest in our own set.“

His answering chuckle rumbled into you. “You looked so hot,” he smirked, kissing you again, hands gently cupping your face. “Totally not our fault.”

A giggle left you. “Uh huh. Sure.” 

You sighed, already missing the feel of him when Eddie pulled out and rolled to the side, and you shifted to face him, shivering when symbiote coils spread across you, nestling you and Eddie in it’s warmth and safety. You snuggled close, humming when he wrapped his arms around you and buried his face in your hair.

“…wer gunna have to go take a shower b’fore supper,” he mumbled against you, and you hummed agreement, knowing you should really get up but not wanting too.

“Yup. M’going.”

“You’re not moving.”

You smirked against his shoulder and wriggled a little in his arms. “There. Moving.”

“Smart ass,” he laughed, and you snickered, poking him in the ribs, right where he was ticklish. Felt him jerk away a little, and did it again, feeling his breath puff against your hair as he tried to writhe away while stubbornly not letting go of you. “Stop that! Evil woman. And dammit, Vee! I can hear you laughing at me!”

You snickered, but relented, smoothing your palm across his side instead. “Poor, Eddie. So abused.”

“I am,” he mock whined.

“WUSS,” Venom rumbled as he made an appearance, face materializing from a stalk extended from Eddie’s back. The man made a half-hearted attempt to swat at the symbiote, then gave up, grumbling as he gathered you close again and hid his face into your hair again.

“Be nice,” you admonished Venom, pushing yourself up onto an arm to press a kiss to the wicked fangs. “Maybe I’ll let you have your turn in the shower.”

There was a pause before Eddie jerked upright, eyes wide, obviously not in control of himself. “Wah! Venom!”

“YOU HEARD HER. YOU CAN’T HOG HER ALL TO YOURSELF.”

You laughed as you watched man and symbiote swat at each other, voices raising as they bickered. Your boys.

Wouldn’t trade them for the world.

.

.

.


	42. Jealousy

Prompt - Could I have maybe a love Triangle between Eddies best friend (who has super strength) Anne and Venom? Maybe S/O sees the way Venom is so careful with Anne? And is a little jealous? Cause she wants Venom to look at her like that? Maybe Eddie/Venom read her text messages to her friend about how much she actually likes him?

This = [Text Messages]

* * *

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.

.

You’d met Eddie at work. He was a new up and coming journalist, just transitioning from being in front of the camera to the printed word. On his first day, he’d looked so lost and on edge, shoulders hunched a little as he’d stared at his new desk and cubicle, that you’d quickly gone up and introduced yourself, if only to reassure him that no, the people there didn’t bite.

He’d been a little wary at first, but relaxed quickly, especially as you’d given him the short tour that had included a quick demo on how to kick the photocopier in just the right way to get it working.

A friendship between the two of you had grown, rather quickly. You traded information, sometimes collaborating on pieces, or helping each other out on tough assignments.

One of those assignments had almost gotten you shot when you’d accidentally stumbled into a bar run by the mob and asked the bartender a wrong question. Wasn’t your fault, you’d just been asking for information. How the hell could you have known the Mob Enforcer was sitting at the end of the bar?

It was then that you’d been introduced to Eddie’s ‘other half’. He’d shoved you behind him with enough force that you’d fallen, landing on your ass on the floor. Had mutely stared as blackness rose from his skin, enveloping him, his form doubling in size. Long tongue lolled out from between wicked rows of fangs, pale eyes narrowing at the one that was pumping ineffective bullets into him. 

Venom. Holy shit.

You’d seen photos of course. Read the articles. Seen the news. Venom. The supposed ‘Demon of San Francisco’.

You’d always taken that title with a grain of salt. You’d never read about him harming random people, only murderers, muggers, drug pushers.

But then again, you knew how society equated ‘different’ as ‘bad’.

So when a the bartender ducked under the bar and came back up with a shotgun, you hopped to your feet and darted a hand out to grasp the barrel of it, smirking as you applied force, the metal twisting and folding in your grasp as if you were crumpling a ball of paper.

Eddie hadn’t been the only one hiding a secret.

The bartender had done a double take, and you’d calmly shoved him in the chest, the push sending him flying. He hit the wall of bottles with a crash, cheap booze and bits of glass raining down on him as he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

The lack of gunfire had you turning, suddenly nervous again when you saw that Venom had ripped the shooter apart and was now staring at you in what you thought was shock.

“You’re not the only one with secrets,” you’d muttered with a shrug, pausing to gulp down an abandoned shot of bourbon before turning and heading out the door.

It had been Eddie that had caught up to you afterwards as you’d been walking back to work, looking frazzled and shocked. 

“What was that?!”

You’d arched an eyebrow at him cooly. “Which part? The part where I accidentally got us shot at or the part where I didn’t tell you I’m a mutant and I’m capable of throwing an SUV across a football field?”

He’d stared at you for a long moment before chuckling and falling into step next to you, shaking his head as he’d bunted his shoulder to yours.

The two of you had become close friends after that. You’d even gotten a proper introduction to Venom, discovering that the symbiote had a mind of it’s own and regularly got Eddie into trouble. It also explained why all the chocolate candy you kept hidden in your desk at work kept vanishing. Sneaky goo alien kept stealing them when you weren’t looking, the bastard.

Three months later found the two of you standing outside a stately house, Eddie grinning as he knocked on the door. You shuffled nervously. He’d insisted on you meeting ‘Anne’ his ex turned friend, who, as a lawyer, might have insight into a new article he was working on. 

You’d tagged along, hesitantly. Eddie, you’d discovered, was oblivious as fuck. You’d developed feelings for him after weeks of sharing meals while pouring over research for various articles and editorials, but he either was clueless or just not interested.

So you’d shoved those feelings deep down into the pit of your stomach, telling yourself that even if he wasn’t romantically interested in you, at least you had him, and Venom, as friends. It was better than nothing, you told yourself. Better than not having them in your life at all.

But when the door opened, and Eddie had beamed at the pretty blond in the doorway, you’d felt like someone had kicked you in the stomach. It took everything you had to smile and reach out to shake Anne’s hand when Eddie introduced you, so very careful not to squeeze too hard.

Anne had ushered the two of you inside, and you’d gotten a second punch to the guts when Venom had materialized himself a little, his head appearing on a stalk stemming from Eddie’s back, the symbiote purring a greeting to the woman, who smiled back in return. The alien never really showed himself when _you_ were around.

Jealously, hot and rancid, rose in you, and you clenched your hands into fists for a moment as you beat the feeling back, taking  a deep breath to try to calm yourself. Years of controlling your strength had taught you how to find your center and push back anger and grief - both were dangerous. Both unbalanced you and made it harder to keep a lid on your abilities.

So you pasted a smile onto your face, accepted coffee, made small talk, and let Eddie gush and beam and joke with this woman that you wished was you. Ignored the symbiote when it sent a curious look your way, pale eyes narrowed, and you offered Venom a weak smile and a shrug as you sipped at your drink.

Afterwards, when Anne bid you and Eddie farewell, you lied to him and said you needed to run some errands, needing to get away, to get some distance so you could breathe without having the urge to scream. He’d smiled, giving you a too short hug, and you’d watched him walk away, feeling like something had ripped your heart out.

Chest feeling tight, you pulled out your phone as you stumbled home, quickly texting a friend that you trusted. You trusted her with everything, even the fact that you were a mutant. You’d long ago started to complain to her that Eddie was dense and not picking up on your signals, so you knew that your text of [Fuck my life] would be properly understood.

A moment passed before your phone chimed. [Still? Girl, just invite him over and get naked in front of him.]

A snort left you. [I’m not that brave.]

[You could snap him like a toothpick if he says anything except ‘wow’.]

You quirked a brow. Didn’t know if you were strong enough to fight Venom. And you didn’t want to find out. Not with his penchant for biting people’s head’s off. [Blood’s a bitch to get out of the carpet.]

[Seriously. Just _tell him._ If he’s too dense to pick up smoke signals, try a bonfire.]

[He likes someone else,] you texted, morosely, remembering the happy look on Eddie’s face when he’d seen Anne. Exes or not, you’d never seen him look that pleased to see anyone before. [She’s blond and smart and pretty and I’m just some freak and I feel like gum under a boot.]

[Sweetie, no! Look, _talk_ to him. The worst that happens is that he says he’s not interested. At least you’ll _know!_ Right?]

[No. The worst that’ll happen is that I’ll lose my best friend. It’ll be like my sister finding out I’m a mutant all over again. He’ll smile, nod, and then never interact with me ever again. I’ll see him at work and it’ll be awkward and horrible and….]

[And it’ll feel like having your heart ripped out.]

[Yeah.]

[Fuck.]

[Yeah.]

[Well, shit. Get drunk?]

You paused and turned your head, looking at the liquor store across the street. [Good idea.]

You shoved your apartment door open minutes later, using too much force and nearly ripping it off it’s hinges. Sighing, you shoved it closed, jamming it into the frame, then paused long enough to lock and slide the chain into place before going to set the bag you were carrying onto the kitchen counter. Pulled a glass out of the cupboard, and a bottle of Kracken Rum out of the bag. Then, kicking your boots off along the way, went to throw yourself down onto the couch.

“Move to a new city,” you muttered as you tossed your phone onto the coffee table before pouring yourself a shot, throwing it back with a cough. “Get a good job. Make new friends. Fuck you school counselor, fucking rat bastard.” Another shot of rum vanished, burning it’s way down your esophagus to settle, warm, in your stomach. “Didn’t say anything about emotional torture, did you? Nooo. Just paint a pretty picture and get the mutant freak out of the small town!”

Your right hand clenched too tight on the glass, and it shattered in your grip, the alcohol in it spilling to the floor amidst shards of glass.

Sighing, you guzzled rum straight from the bottle, then got to your feet and stomped over to the kitchen, retrieving a towel. Muttering, you went and cleaned up the mess you’d made, pausing when your phone chimed again. 

You huffed a growl as you picked it up in your good hand, groaning, loudly, when you saw who was texting you.

“Fuck me,” you sighed, because, really, how much worse did your day have to get? Typed a response, even as you muttered more curses under your breath. [What’s up, Eddie?]

[Hey. Thought of something for the article. Mind if I come over and brainstorm with you?]

You looked at the state of your front door, the glass, the small puddles of rum on the floor, and grit your teeth to stop a scream. [Kinda not a good time.] 

[You okay?]

“Fucking perfect,” you growled. [Fine. Just… a little drunk. Not really in a ‘brainstorming’ mode anymore.]

[Oh. Okay. See you at work?]

[Yup.] “Smilie,” you muttered darkly. “Add a smilie so he thinks you’re okay.” Dutifully added a ‘good night’ along with a little ‘:)’, then threw your phone onto the coffee table and grabbed your bottle of rum again, guzzling. “Fuck my life.”

Your turmoiled emotions managed to keep you conscious up until you got three quarters through the bottle. Then your body gave up the fight, and you passed out on the couch.

Morning greeted you with a headache, the feeling that you might have been chewing on the couch in your sleep. Groaning, you rolled onto your back, rubbing at your face, then screamed, trying to throw yourself off the couch and only succeeding in thudding to the floor when you saw Venom leaning over the back of the furniture, eyeing you worriedly.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” you howled from the floor, clutching at your head afterwards when your voice rebounded inside your skull. “Don’t you use _doors?!_ ”

Venom had reared back a bit at the ferocity of your scream, but now, he actually looked amused. “WE KNOCKED, BUT YOU DIDN’T ANSWER.”

“Nnnugghh.” Groaning, you peeled yourself off the floor, staggering to your feet and heading for the kitchen. You needed coffee. A lot of it. Now.

Nearly put your arm through the counter when you stumbled, and you grumbled as you jabbed at the coffee maker’s controls, filling it with water before turning it on, the sound of burbling filling the small room.

Venom was looming in the small kitchen entryway, eyeing you worriedly. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

“I’m hungover, so that would be a definite ‘no’,” you grumbled as you sidestepped around him and headed for the bathroom. “Just… just gimme a minute. Raid the fridge, siddown, whatever, just….  fuck off for half a second.”

You made it to the bathroom, and got the door closed. Stared at yourself in the mirror and blinked at the fucking mess that stared back at you. Your hair looked like a tumbleweed and you had lines from the pattern on the couch squished into your cheek. 

Attractive.

Trying not to puke, you pee’d, washed your face, brushed your hair so it didn’t look like ‘Hair of Death’, then brushed your teeth to eliminate what was surely one hell of a bad case of morning breath. 

That accomplished, you staggered across the hallway into your bedroom, and changed out of your outfit and into some clean underthings, fresh jeans and a clean tee. 

Well, you didn’t feel human yet, but you at least looked the part.

Deciding that you couldn’t hide all day - no matter how much you wanted to just curl up in a whole and die - you shuffled out of your bedroom and headed back to the kitchen. The smell of coffee settled your stomach, and you sighed, tired, aching, as you retrieved a mug and poured yourself some liquid caffeine, then sipped at the too-hot drink. 

Eddie had made an appearance, and you found him sitting on the couch, frowning down at something in his hands. 

Your stomach bottomed out when you saw he was looking at your phone.

For the second time in less than a day, your hand clenched tight and shattered the thing you were holding. Scalding hot coffee washed over your skin and dripped onto the floor, Eddie sending a shocked look your way when you merely stood there and let it happen, trembling slightly.

He had the sense to look embarrassed. “I–”

“Get out.”

Eddie blinked at the angry rasp that left you. “But–”

“Get. The fuck. _Out!_ ” The last word came out in a shriek of rage, and you felt pieces of the broken mug crunch under your foot as you stormed forward, grabbing him by his hoodie and hauling him off the couch. 

You were halfway across the apartment, fully intending to bodily throw him out the front door, when blackness moved under your hand. Eddie vanished under the symbiote as Venom took over. His form grew another foot, shoulders widening, muscles growing, and you grunted at the new weight, shifting your footing, shoulders tensing as you hefted a little more and _shoved_.

Venom flew backwards and slammed into the wall hard enough that he left a dent in the plaster, those pale eyes widening as you clenched your fists and got ready for a fight. Because you _needed_ a fight. Something, _anything_ , to get the feeling of _betrayal_ out of your system. 

Amazingly, a low, rumbling, chuckle left him. “THAT WAS HOT.”

The urge to fight fizzled out with a wash of disbelief. “ _What?_ ”

Those fangs bared themselves in a wide grin. “YOU HEARD US.”

Okay. Now you wanted to scream. Gritting your teeth, you sunk your hands into your hair and turned to stomp into the living-room a bit before spinning back to glare at Venom, who blinked. “Just… What the _fuck?!_ You can’t just come in here and read someone’s goddamn texts, that’s like, fucking invasion of privacy!”

“MORSEL…”

“Hush!” You pointed a finger at him. “Shush! Shut. Up.”

“NO.” He stalked forward, and you held your ground, glaring up at him as he moved into your personal space. “EDDIE WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU. ANNIE CALLED HIM, TOLD HIM HE WAS AN IDIOT. SAID YOU LIKED HIM AND THAT HE WAS BLIND.”

God. How transparent had you been that a complete stranger could tell that you were fucking _pining_ like some old timey damsel. Fuck.

When you didn’t say anything, Venom leaned down, face inches from yours. “HE WORRIES. THINKS HE HAS TO PUSH PEOPLE AWAY BECAUSE OF US. IS AFRAID THAT WE’D HURT YOU.” He tiled his head, pale eyes narrowing a little as he smirked. “BUT YOU’RE NICE AND STRONG, AREN’T YOU?”

You grit your teeth hard enough that your jaw twinged. Had to force yourself to calm down before you cracked a tooth. “What’s your point?”

“OUR POINT, MORSEL, IS _THIS_.” 

You gasped as he yanked you forward, one taloned hand gripping your shoulder as he crashed his mouth onto yours. His tongue slipped between your lips, invading and exploring your mouth, the low rumble that left him vibrating into you and making you shudder in reaction. 

He literally kissed the breath out of you, and you were panting, dazed, when Venom finally pulled away. You sucked in a shuddering breath, and when you opened your eyes, it was Eddie’s face that you focused on, his steel blue eyes instantly locking onto yours. 

“We’re sorry,” he murmured, his hands sliding down your arms, palms warming your skin as he curled his fingers around yours. “I’m sorry for… Fuck. Everything? Yeah. Everything. We… _I_ thought– I don’t know what I thought. That you’d be afraid? Or… or something.”

You let your breath out in a sigh, all the remaining anger draining from you and leaving your hangover to take it’s place. “I’m still mad at you.”

“Sorry. Your phone chimed and… Yeah. Shouldn’t have done that. Your friend though, wants to know if you, ahem, ‘grew a pair and boned him yet’.” 

The wicked glint in his eyes, and the feeling of the blush warming your face, made you want to vanish into the floor. “Goddamn it.”

Eddie chuckled. “We were wondering if we had competition.”

You stared at him for a moment, then groaned and closed your eyes. “I need coffee. Do you want coffee?”

He had the good graces not to outright laugh at how flustered you were. “Sure.”

“Okay. Good. Coffee.” Eddie followed you to the kitchen, and you did your best to squash the urge to drink the rest of the rum. Instead, you took out two mugs and filled each with coffee. “You want sugar or milk? I make this strong, so…”

“We’ll risk it,” he smiled, and you shrugged as you handed him his cup, leaning back against the counter as you drank from yours. Had to stifle a laugh when he took a sip and made a face, eyes watering. 

A snicker left you. “I did warn you.”

“Jesus, this could melt tank armor!” Eddie moved to the fridge and pulled out the milk, adding a copious amount to his mug. “How can you drink this?”

“I like strong coffee. Wakes you up in the morning.”

“This would revive the dead! Where’s the sugar?”

You watched, amused, as he moved to the small bowl of sugar on the counter and started to spoon some into his drink. At the fifth spoonful, you rolled your eyes and snatched up a dish cloth, leaving him as you went to clean up the remains of your first cup of coffee.

The liquid had made a stain on the hardwood, and you carefully gathered up the bits of broken mug before wiping up the cold coffee off the floor. Set it on the coffee table when you were done, sighing as you sank down onto the couch and waited for Eddie.

He shuffled out of the kitchen moments later, sipping at his coffee again, and you wondered how much sugar he’d put into it. It looked a little syrupy.

Eddie sighed as he dropped down onto the couch next to you. “So… Did we crash and burn or…?”

You gave that some thought. “You crashed. _Spectacularly_. But, were revived on scene.”

A chuckle left him. “Does that mean you’ll let us take you out for breakfast and real coffee?”

“This _is_ real coffee.”

“It really isn’t.”

”Hmpft.”

Eddie snipped at his drink a bit before grinning. “It _was_ kinda hot, you picking us up like that,” he commented offhandedly, helpfully reaching out to slap you on the back when you choked, coffee filling your sinuses.

“You’re weird,” you rasped once you could breathe again.

“I’m bonded to an alien symbiote _._ ‘Weird’ isn’t even on the _map_ anymore,” Eddie smirked, chuckling when you rolled your eyes at him. He took another sip of coffee, made a face, then gave up and set his mug on the coffee table. “Offer of breakfast still stands. We can, uh, figure some stuff out over pancakes or something. If… if you’re interested? I mean, we’re… Venom’s been pushing me to talk to you for weeks, but I was afraid…” He cut himself off with a huff and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “Annie called me a moron and told me to just jump in. That you were waiting for me to make the first move. So… we’re here. Moving.”

You eyed him, and the black tendril that extended from his shoulder to caress your cheek. You reached up to touch it, smiling a little when it curled around your fingers and squeezed, cool and sinuous. “Breakfast, huh?”

He nodded, smiling warmly. “Our treat.”

“…you look at my phone again without permission and I’ll feed it to you.”

Venom’s face materialized on a stalk and grinned at you. “KINKY.”

.

.

.


	43. Dancing Queen

Prompt - *waves* So, my ask... Fem! Reader works a job as a pole dancer in a higher band (strip) club, Eddie finds himself there to interview a CEO for a case. Venom/Eddie is intrigued by reader, and decide they want a private dance. She's actually a bookish girl, a love for sci-fi and horror, he's different to all the other people she has danced for. She just needs money to live/study in the city, and loves to dance. Maybe Venom/Eddie convince her to leave, and only ever dance again for them...

I hope I did this one justice!

I Googled for inspiration for the Club interior and fell in love with an image[ **HERE**](http://www.kibrisgecehayati.biz/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/c6.jpg) So I’m kinda basing the venue on that.

EDIT - This thing turned into a monster! It’s super long! Over 7000 words!

And I guess this is more Movie based than Comic? It’s up to you which you picture in your brain.

* * *

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This wasn’t how you’d thought you’d be paying your way through life.

Yes. You loved to dance. And _yes_ , the job paid excellent money. But if your mother ever found out you worked at a strip club as a pole dancer she’d probably have a heart attack.

Still, it _was_ fun. You’d worked your way up through the ‘ranks’, as it were, to become one of the main dancers. And, really, you didn’t need to ‘strip’ naked. Your boss was female, one of the few in ‘the business’ in the City, and had long ago decided that one didn’t need to be naked in order to be sexy. She was one of the few to pay dancers to work there, rather than dancers paying for the chance to dance. It was refreshing, so different than the other places you’d been to.

The venue was one of the higher class ones in San Francisco. Always kept clean, no photos or selfies allowed, and absolutely _no touching_ \- not that most patrons abided by that rule. There were bouncers that kept unruly patrons in check, and you were always kind to them. They’d kept you from being assaulted by drunk men more than once, the least you could do in return was be polite.

The outside of the building was misleading. It hid the gem within. The decor of the Club reminded you of a flame from a gas stove - bright blue flames with a hint of purple. There was a center stage with the pole for dancing, and a bit of a walkway for those who preferred to dance on their own. The entire place glowed blue, beautiful. There were seating areas, small tables and larger booths, luxury bench stools at the main bar and smaller rooms set to the side for private dances.

You were getting ready for the after-work rush, slipping into your favorite set of lingerie and taking the curlers out of your hair. You’d just come in from teaching a fitness class about pole dancing, a simple thing that you hosted once a week for fun at a local gym. It helped pay the bills, and it was a relief to be able to dance without being ogled at, to just do it for _fun_ and to teach other women that pole dancing wasn’t an innately sexual thing.

Already, you could hear the low pound of the music, the sounds of numerous conversations rumbling, the clink of glasses and the raucous laughter of men.

Still, after all the time you’d been dancing, you had to psyche yourself up a little. You’d never gotten over the butterflies in your stomach before every performance. All eyes would be on you, and it was still intimidating.

“How’re you feeling?”

The voice made you turn, and you blinked at Cassandra, your boss, as she walked into the changing room. All the other girls glanced up, then, realizing she wasn’t there for them, turned back to their respective mirrors.

“Good,“ you shrugged, pulling out the last curler, the lock of hair bouncing a little now that it was free. “Almost ready.”

“That CEO that likes you is in tonight,” Cassandra said with a slight smirk. You were sure she had a thing for fleecing men of their money. It was a power thing, women vs men, battle of the sexes. Straight men would always lose, if all it took to distract them was a bit of leg or a flash of breast. “He brought a friend too. Try to wink at him or something, he always tips better when he thinks you’re dancing for him.”

You didn’t always agree with your boss’s views, but she never interfered with you. Only gave suggestions, never orders. “Not a problem. Did someone wipe down the pole?” The last time someone hadn’t cleaned it between dancers, it had been slick with sweat and you’d almost fallen.

“Yup. It’s all ready for you. Knock ‘em dead, like you always do.”

“Thank you.” The other girls eyed you as Cassandra left, and you pointedly ignored them. They weren’t your friends. If anything, they viewed you, the top dancer, as a threat. You were the highest paid, the most requested. Every one of them wanted that to happen to _them_.

Too bad for them that you weren’t easily intimidated.

The music changed tempo, and you gave yourself a final once-over in the mirror before moving to the stage, padding barefoot across the cool floor as you took your place behind the curtain. You did a few stretches, limbered yourself up a bit, then look at the coordinator and gave a thumbs up.

The song paused as an announcer came on to introduce you, and you took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled through your nose. Smiled as the curtains swished away, the bright lights from the spotlight blinding you for a moment as applause, cheers and whistles filled the air, drowning out the beginning thrum of a new bit of music.

You stepped out onto the stage with confidence, let your eyes adjust to the lights as you waved at the crowd, taking a moment to pinpoint that CEO, a Mr. Connor, and give him a wink and a blown kiss. As always, he was in an expensive suit, perfectly cut hair, perfectly shaven face. You were sure he had his eyebrows trimmed too.

His ‘guest’ was very different. Much more laid back. Slightly ruffled short hair, slight stubble, a worn button down shirt and jeans with a leather jacket folded on the chair behind him. But, he had a look about him, a look that said that he was very aware of everything around him. His gaze calm, yet curious and a little intense. Maybe a reporter, then. Mr. Connor had often brought people he wanted to impress to the Club.

Internally shrugging, you focused on the task at hand. Your set was only fifteen minutes, but it would be a focused fifteen minutes.

Pasting a smile onto your face, you gave the crowd another wave before strutting to the pole, lightly curling a hand around it as you twirled yourself around it, using the motion to check to make sure the metal was clean - you didn’t fancy slipping and falling to the stage.

Leveling out your breathing, you started. Muscles in your back and shoulders flexed as you lifted yourself off the stage, swinging up, curling your legs around the pole and hanging upside down for a bit, winking at a nearby customer. The beat of the music changed, and you expertly gyrated your form, twirling and dancing around the pole, moving sensuously, keeping to the thrum of the music.

There was an uproar of applause when the music faded, and you held your final pose, five feet off the stage, shoulders pressed to the pole, one leg bent, the other straight up, toes pointed.

Smiling again, you righted yourself, slid down the pole and lightly landed on your feet, lightly brushing your hair back over your shoulder as you took a bow. Paused to blow another kiss to the CEO who was giving you a standing ovation, then sashayed backstage.

Cassandra greeted you with a smile and a small bit of applause. “Good work, as always! Your CEO wanted to know if you’d go out and say ‘hi’.”

Your lips twisted a bit. You never really liked going out on the floor, hated being groped by random men. You usually never left the stage, left the lap dances to the girls who wanted to do them. But the look on Cassandra’s eyes said that the ‘request’ had probably included a large amount of cash.

“Yeah, okay,” you sighed, running your hands through your hair, fluffing up the curls a little as you followed your boss. She let you pause to slip into some heels before leading you through the dressing room to the door that led to the bar proper.

Cassandra’s firm look discouraged any random patrons from groping you along the way as she expertly wove her way between the tables, heading for Mr. Connor. You plastered a smile onto your face as you neared his table, giving his guest a friendly nod before taking the hand the CEO had extended to you.

“That was _enthralling_ , as always, my dear,” Mr. Connor praised you as he lifted your hand to his lips in a chaste kiss. “Your dexterity and strength always amazes me.”

“Thank you, sir,” you smiled, glancing at Cassandra when your boss patted you on the shoulder before leaving you to go talk to one of the bouncers. Probably to tell them to keep an eye on you, just in case.

Mr. Connor gently tugged on your arm until you acquiesced and sat down onto one of the free chairs at the table, his thumb caressing he back of your hand as he spoke. It creeped you out a little, but you hid it, expertly.

“I wanted to introduce you to my guest,” the CEO smiled as he turned to the man sitting adjacent to him. “This is Eddie Brock. An up and coming journalist. He’s doing a piece on my company’s charitable work for the City.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brock,” you said politely. He looked a little embarrassed at the entire exchange, and you guessed that he wasn’t one to usually visit Strip Clubs. You’d seen him on TV actually, and knowing his perchance for exposing corruption, you decided not to mention it. You’d seen the people Mr. Connor brought to the Club, a few hadn’t looked to be of the upstanding sort.

“I thought I’d treat my new friend. Are you, by chance, free for a dance, my dear?”

The words made your stomach drop, as did the sight of the two hundred dollar bills that the CEO slid towards you. You didn’t usually like giving private dances. Though there were rooms set up with dancing poles, they were usually reserved for the other girls who roamed the floor.

Worried, you sent a look towards a still watching Cassandra, who shrugged and gestured to the nearest room. Well then, there went your hopes of rescue.

Hoping your smile hadn’t wavered, you nodded as you rose to your feet, finallky sliding your hand out of the CEOs and doing you best not to wipe your hand against your leg. “Of course, Mr. Connor. It’d be my pleasure. Mr. Brock, this way please.”

The reporter looked unsettled, even apprehensive. You hid your own displeasure behind a long perfected mask. “You don’t–”

“My boy, please. It’s on me. She’s an incredible dancer, you really must see her perform up close.”

Idly wondering if this was a sort of test for Mr. Brock, you gestured for him to follow you, seeing his gaze dart from you to the CEO a few times before he sighed and rose from his chair. You led the way to one of the nearest rooms, letting him precede you before you followed him, turning to slide the curtains shut to give the illusion of privacy.

“You don’t have to do this.”

You paused at his voice, turning to look at him. “Pardon?”

“The dance. I don’t… I’m not really into this.”

You’d have been lying if you weren’t relieved. Decided to test the waters with a little truth. “I can tell. Look, if you’re uncomfortable–”

He chuckled, shaking his head, not moving towards you, giving you space that most men who came into the Club didn’t afford you. “You have _no_ idea. If my boss hadn’t insisted I do this piece I’d never have come here. Uh, no offense? I just… It’s not my type of place.”

One of your shoulders rose and fell in a shrug as you turned to lean back against the pole in the center of the room, smiling a little at how uncomfortable he looked. “I get it. I’m just a dancer. I don’t usually leave the safety of the stage to do private dances. I don’t like doing them. But, Mr. Connor tips well, and my boss made an exception.”

Mr. Brock’s eyes narrowed a little. “Your boss, that big guy next to the woman who escorted you over?”

You laughed a little. “That woman _was_ my boss. Gerald is one of the bouncers. You really don’t come to Clubs often do you? Cassandra is one of the only female Club owners in the City - turned the entire scene upside down when she decided to hire permanent dancers and girls. She even supplies us with health insurance.” 

He blinked, visibly surprised. “I… didn’t know that.”

“Not may people do.”

“You’re…. I’m sorry, you’re not what I expected.”

Your lips twitched. “And what did you expect? I work here because I love to dance, and I’m damned good at it. The women here are performers. They have families and children and bills to pay, just like everyone else. Just because we work here doesn’t mean that we’re less than.”

“That’s not what I meant!” He rose his hands placatingly, and you forced yourself to relax your shoulders, realizing that you’d bristled defensively. “I… Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come off as insulting.”

A sigh left you, and you shook your head a little, running a hand through your hair. “No. No, I think I’m at fault. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just used to having to defend myself from people’s prejudices and I jumped the gun.”

“Let’s start over. The name’s Eddie. Journalist and moron, apparently.” He held his hand out with a hopeful grin, and you smiled a little as you shook his hand and murmured your name.

Eddie smiled back, giving you hand a squeeze before pulling away. “So… Kinda have to ask, how long have you known Mr. Connor?”

“He’s a regular. Likes bringing his friends here. A little _too_ infatuated with me, I think.” You causally leaned against the pole again, pressing your shoulder against it. “You’re not doing a piece on his ‘charitable’ work, are you?”

“You’re a sharp one. No. That’s a cover story. I think he’s as crooked as they come. Maybe has ties to a criminal organization.”

A sigh left you. “That…. wouldn’t surprise me, actually. Some of the people he’s brought here seemed less than reputable. Cassandra warned all of us to stay away from a couple of them, actually.“

“Don’t suppose you can I.D. some of his ‘guests’?”

“If he’s as crooked as you say, I don’t know if I want to get involved,” you frowned, glancing away, even as you internally debated things.

“This would stay between us. And if the shit hits the fan… I can protect you.”

A soft laugh left you. “You can protect me? From a _criminal organization?_ ”

An odd shadow flit across his eyes. “I have my ways.”

You sucked in a breath, held it, then exhaled, slowly. “Not here. We’ve been in here too long as it is. Time’s almost up. You have a pen and paper on you?”

Eddie blinked at you, but produced a small pad of paper and a pen. You took them and scrawled down your phone number before pushing them back into his hands. “Smile now, like you had a good time. Look flustered. Otherwise he’ll get suspicious.”

You waited until he’d put the paper and pen away, then led the way out of the room by opening the curtains with a flourish. Mr. Connor instantly sought out your gaze, and you smiled at him as Eddie walked past you, returning to the table. You thought you’d be able to get away, but the CEO waved you over again, and you internally groaned as you followed Eddie.

“So?” Mr. Connor asked with a glance at the reporter.

“He’s a shy one,” you drawled with a smirk at Eddie as he retook his seat. “Though I think he enjoyed it.”

“She’s very… flexible,” Eddie said with a blush, and you laughed a little, playing the part perfectly.

“That she is. Thank you my dear. When’s your next dance?”

You made a show of reaching over to check his watch. “Fifteen minutes.”

“Perfect,” The CEO gestured at a passing waitress, ordering another round of drinks for himself and Eddie, and you hoped that Eddie wasn’t one who couldn’t hold his booze, because Mr. Connor had a habit of trying to get his guests drunk. You supposed it was because drunk people had looser lips. God help Eddie if he was one of them. “Thank you for indulging me, my dear. I look forward to your next show.”

“Always a pleasure, Mr. Connor,” you said with a smile, finally making you escape. The cool, quietness, of backstage made you sigh in relief once you reached it, the tension between your shoulder-blades loosening a little now that you were safely in the dressing room. No men allowed, thank God.

You managed to finish your shift at the Club without any more interruptions, dancing another six times before you were free to head home at two am. Eddie’s suspicions that Mr Connor was connected to a crime organization made you more jumpy than usual on the way home, constantly checking over your shoulder as you waited for the bus.

Thankfully, nothing happened, and you managed to get home, shower, and faceplant yourself into bed without incident.

Your phone woke you around eleven am, and you groaned as you shot an arm out from under the sheets to grope for it, fingers finally curling around it and pulling the thing close so you could squint at the screen.

It wasn’t a number you were familiar with. Frowning, you swiped the screen and pulled the phone to your ear. “Hello?”

“Hi! It’s, uh, it’s Eddie. Eddie Brock? From last night?”

“Oh. Yes, I remember. What’s up?”

“Any chance you have some free time today? To look over some photos and stuff? I normally wouldn’t push like this, but my editor is really riding me.”

You rolled onto your back, limbs splayed, and frowned up at your ceiling. “Um. Yeah. Okay, sure. Where… where do you want to meet?” You listened as he gave the address of a Bar & Grill , and you hoped that your growling stomach wasn’t heard across the line. “Sure. Uh. I can be there in half an hour. That work?”

“That would be perfect! Thanks. I really owe you.”

“Buy me lunch and we’ll be even.”

His warm chuckle rumbled across the line. “Deal.”

You hung up with an odd little butterfly in your belly, then sighed and hauled yourself out of bed. Showered again because your hair looked like hell, then blow dried it and put it up into a bun, clipping it in place. Chose to wear some jeans and your favorite vintage Star Wars tee before rushing to get into some sneakers and your leather jacket.

Rode a street car half way to the restaurant, and walked the rest, enjoying being out in the daytime, the sun warming your face and making you smile. Spotted Eddie waiting outside the Bar & Grill when you reached the address, and waved a little to capture his attention when you saw he was scanning the sidewalk for you.

The tension in his shoulders vanished when he saw you, a smile lessening the frown on his face, and you returned the grin as you reached him. He looked good, through a little tired, dressed in a leather jacket, shirt and some jeans.

“Found the place alright?” he asked in greeting.

“Yup.”

“Look. Thanks for doing this. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

You shook your head. “No. It’s not. It’s the right thing to do. He always kinda made my skin crawl, red flags and all that jazz.”

“Woman’s intuition?”

“Yeah. Something like that.” You brushed past him as he held the restaurant door open for you, smiling at little at the chivalrous move.

It didn’t take long to be seated, you and Eddie quickly got settled into a booth in the corner of the restaurant. Made small talk with him as the two of you perused the menus, your mind already made up by the scent in the air that you wanted a burger.

Only after the waitress had left with your orders - you did get a burger, and Eddie had ordered a rare steak - did Eddie pull a handful of photos from the inside pocket of his jacket, and you sipped at your Ginger Ale before accepting them from him. 

“See anyone you know?”

You flipped through them, studying each mugshot, before your stomach bottomed out. “Him. I’ve seen him at the Club with Mr. Connor half a dozen times, along with two others. Cassandra warned everyone to be on their best behavior around all three of them. Even the bouncers looked nervous.”

Eddie’s breath left him in a heavy sigh. “That would be because he’s the head of a drug trafficking ring and those other two were his guards.”

Your stomach bottomed out. “W-what?”

“Yeah. Joe Harrison. He’s untouchable, got his fingers in everything. Cops, judges, _CEOs_ … Connor’s corporation deals in international import and exports. Probably helps to bring in Harrison’s product.”

“Fuck.”

“Pretty much, yeah. Anyone else?”

It didn’t take long to finish going through the photos. “No. No, I don’t remember seeing anyone else. But, I don’t work full time. I don’t think Cassandra would help you though, she tries to stay neutral.”

“No, no. This is plenty.” Eddie accepted the stack of photos from you and tucked them back into his jacket. “I was almost hoping you hadn’t seen anyone.”

“Me too, to be honest.” You sipped at your drink to wet your suddenly dry throat.

“You’ll have to be careful.”

“Excuse me?”

“Connor. He’s dangerous. And Harrison has eyes everywhere.” When you paled, Eddie sighed, and slid a piece of paper with a phone number over to you. “Look, if you need help. Call me. Seriously. For anything. I owe you, more than just lunch.”

Your fingertips smoothed over the paper as you accepted it, brushing your thumb across the numbers there. “You think I’m in danger. Because I’m talking to you.”

“I think Connor suspects something, yeah. That ‘dance’–”

“Was some sort of test.”

“Yes.”

A sigh left you. “And did he open up afterwards?”

“No. But I’ve been invited back to join him at the Club tonight.”

Your stomach twisted. “Great,” you muttered, sighing again as you slipped his number into the pocket of your jeans. “And you think you’re a match for a drug lord and a corrupt CEO?”

He shifted a little. “I… have a friend. He’s… powerful. No one would dare mess with him.” At your raised eyebrow, he smirked. “Confidential, of course.”

“Naturally.”

“So. Star Wars, huh?”

The sudden shift in topic made you blink. Realized that he was trying to calm your nerves by talking about something familiar and safe, and smiled a little. “Yeah. I’m kind of a geek. Sci-fi, horror, total fangirl.”

A grin slow spread across his lips. “Yeah? Favorite horror movie?”

“The Thing. The original version, not that horrible remake, that was garbage. You?”

“Poltergeist.”

“Please God not the remake.”

“They remade it?”

“They did. Don’t watch it. It sucks and blows and not in the fun way.”

Eddie laughed, and you grinned, the sombre mood shifting. The two of you spent the rest of lunch arguing the merits of the ‘original’ Star Wars movies versus the newer ones. He thought Ewoks were annoying, you countered that nothing was more annoying than the train wreck of ‘Jar Jar Binks’ and that the only good thing from the ‘prequel’ trilogy was General Grievous. Then spent half an hour debating the fan theory that Jar Jar was possibly a Darth Sith Lord that was manipulating everything by pretending to be stupid.

It turned out to be a pleasantly fun lunch. You were a little sad when it ended - you didn’t have too many people who could keep up with your love of horror and sci-fi stuff.

You headed home for a nap before work with a smile and a slight skip in your step.

That night, everything went to shit.

You arrived at the Club a little early, humming as you walked backstage and got changed into another lingerie set, black lace this time. Was in the middle of putting your hair up into a fancy updo when you spotted movement to your left.

Cassandra was there, and she looked pale, blood oozing from a cut on her lower lip. Her eyes were wide, and you took a step towards her before a shadow behind her materialized into a blond man in a suit. He gave your boss a push, and she stumbled forward, your breath freezing in your throat when you saw the pistol that he’d been holding to her back.

Brave as she was, Cassandra moved to stand in front of your stunned form, arms spread to shield you, and you gulped as you lay a hand on her shoulder.

“Your presence has been requested.”

“I _told_ you. You deal with me, not my girls,” your boss snapped angrily, and your hands rose to your mouth to muffle a scream when the man fired, once, Cassandra’s body falling to the floor with a boneless thud. The other girls that had been watching the exchange screamed and panicked, running for the fire escape at the rear of the building.

You had thrown yourself to the ground, hands pressing at the bullet hole in Cassandra’s chest, blood, hot and sticky, welling up. She coughed, once, blood and spittle bubbling out of her mouth, her eyes wide and panicked and you sobbed as you watched her die.

“I won’t ask a second time.”

Legs shaking, you slowly rose to your feet, blood dripping from your hands as the gunman gestured for you to lead the way out onto the floor. You stumbled a little in your heels as you walked out into the silent Club, swallowing thickly when you saw Connor and Harrison seated at the CEOs usual table. Eddie Brock was standing nearby, at gunpoint by Harrison’s other ‘guard’.

Trembling, you wiped your face against your forearm to get rid of your tears as you walked over to the group, stomach lurching when you saw Gerald lying dead in a pool of his own blood nearby.

Your gaze idly darted across those gathered, a coldness twisting your insides when you saw some photos on the table in front of Connor, the images of you having lunch with Eddie in black and white but still very identifiable.

“I told you not to hurt her!” Connor snapped when he spotted you, rising from the table. You wanted to kick him when he wrapped his left arm around your shoulders, pulling you to his chest, but held back due to the gun still aimed at you.

“She’s unharmed, like you asked, sir,” the gunman reported to Harrison. “The other bitch got mouthy though.”

Connor actually got mad. “You killed Cassandra?! Harrison, what the hell!”

“Loose ends, Connor. I abhor them. Your dancer identified me to a journalist, tied me to you. This puts _everything_ at risk!” Harrison’s fist hit the tabletop hard enough that all the glasses jumped. You sent a wide-eyed look at Eddie, who had his eyes narrowed, hands up, a gun at his back. Blinked when he gave you a reassuring smile, wanted to ask him what the fuck there was to smile about, but Connor’s arm tightening around your shoulders distracted you.

“I won’t let you kill her!”

“Connor, you’re blind. She’s just a dancer. At a _strip club_. They’re a dime a dozen. You’ll find another one to get enamored about in a week,” Harrison drawled, looking at you as if you were a piece of meat. It made you shudder, that uncaring, empty, look. “If Mr. Brock’s ‘expose’ is published, you’ll end up in jail. _You_ not _me_. _I_ have insurance, _you_ , Connor, do not. Even if you were to grow some balls and implicate me, I have judges and lawyers in my pocket. But you weren’t smart enough to do that, were you?”

You glanced at Connor, who had paled, his gaze darting to you. And you knew then, that he’d let you die, because no man wanted to have their power and wealth ripped away. No powerful man wanted to end up in jail.

Slowly, Connor’s arm slipped away from you, and you glared at him.

“I’m sorry, my dear. Business before pleasure. You understand.”

”Asshole,” you snapped, taking a bit of pleasure in how Connor’s dark eyes narrowed at you at the remark.

Harrison rose a hand and gestured to the gunman who had killed Cassandra, and you backed away as the guard advanced on you. The one holding a gun to Eddie moved to face him, standing side by side with the man aiming a gun at you, and you realized that they were going to shoot you both dead, right there. Would probably burn the Club down to hide the evidence afterwards.

“When I say ‘run’, _run_ ,” Eddie murmured to you, his gaze locked on the two gunman. You sent him a helpless look, knowing that if he did the stupid thing he was thinking of, he’d just end up a corpse riddled with bullets.

Granted, that end was inevitable at that point.

Connor turned away as the two guards took aim, and you felt a coldness grip your innards, realizing that you were going to die. You hadn’t called your mother that week yet, how long would she wonder before someone found your corpse and told her?

“RUN!”

Eddie’s voice was different, and you snapped your head to the side to stare at him as blackness shot out from his shoulders, enveloping the guns that were aimed at the two of you and yanking them out of the men’s hands. You watched as Eddie’s form doubled, then tripled in size, ebony wrapping around him. Two pale opalized eyes appeared above a mouth full of fangs, and you stumbled backwards in shock, your brain struggling to make sense of what you were seeing.

The thing that used to be Eddie turned to you, and you quaked a little as a long, serpentine, tongue licked at the air. “WE SAID, RUN, MORSEL!”

In shock, your body obeyed the order before your brain even processed it. You turned and bolted, jumping up to slid across the bartop and hunkering down behind the sturdy wood bar, blood stained hands rising to cover your ears as a horrible roar vibrated the air.

Gunshots answered the feral bellow, and you yelped as bottles exploded from the bullets, booze and glass raining down onto you. Heard wet popping sounds, a horrible crunch, and a high pitched scream that you realized came from Connor himself.

You didn’t want to know what was happening to him to pull that sort of sound from him.

More gunfire echoed through the Club, accompanied by shouting at the ones still alive tried to coordinate an attack. You just curled into yourself some more, hoping that people would forget that you were there, a strangled yelp leaving you when a hand suddenly fisted in your hair.

Harrison as he yanked you to your feet by your hair, and you twisted, reaching down as you balanced on one foot, slipping off one of your heels and then turning to hit him with it. The two inch heel of your shoe slid into his right eye like butter, and as he howled and clutched at his head, you scooped up a bottle of vodka and cracked him over the head with it.

The monster that you now knew was Venom finished Harrison off by leaning over and biting his head clean off his shoulders, and you felt your stomach lurch at the sight, heart hammering in your chest as you backed away. Glass sunk into your bare right foot as your hips hit the edge of the display behind the bar, and you reached back to grip at it, wondering if you were going to survive a gunfight just to become a snack for the Demon of San Francisco.

Venom turned his head to the side and spat out your shoe, and you grimaced a little as he blinked at it, then offered it to you. “YOURS, WE BELIEVE?”

“Kinda don’t want it now,” you whimpered, eyeing the drool covered pump.

He shrugged and tossed it over his shoulder, and your gaze followed it’s trajectory, your stomach lurching again when you saw the dead bodies piled in the center of the Club, all missing various body parts - mostly heads.

You struggled to keep from hyperventilating when those pale eyes locked onto you again, swallowing past the lump in your throat.

“DON’T BE SCARED, PRETTY. WE’D NEVER HURT YOU,” Venom rumbled, holding a taloned hand out to you, and you hesitated a long moment, brain whirling. Eddie Brock was Venom. His ‘friend’ was actually himself, his alter ego.

After a long moment, you reached out and slid your hand into Venom’s, those wicked talons gentle against your skin as he tugged you forward, then leaned over the bar and scooped you up off your feet. Your other shoe fell off as he lifted you, and you felt tiny in his arms as he cradled you to his chest, as if you were delicate china. The odd, surprising, feeling of safety made your emotions crack and break, a sob escaping your throat.

“SHH. IT’S ALRIGHT. WE HAVE YOU.” You don’t know how he knew, maybe Eddie had cased the Club out earlier, but Venom headed unerringly for the rear entrance, kicking it open and stepping out into the dark alley behind the building.

Your breath left you in a gasp when he crouched a little before jumping straight up, an inky black tendril replacing the arm under your knees, freeing his left hand so he could sink the talons of that hand into the side of the building. He made one more lunging hurtle and then the two of you were on the rooftop, his arm returning to support your legs as he turned and started to bound from roof to roof.

You stayed silent, in shock, cold, still reeling. Stared at your bloodied hands, Cassandra’s blood, the sight of her panicked, slowly dimming gaze in the forefront of your mind. Inexorably, you started trembling as the trauma of everything started to take over, the numbness that had allowed you to survive the moment fading to be replaced with panic.

“EASY, NIBBLET. WE’RE ALMOST THERE,” Venom rumbled to you, and you hiccuped as you hid your face against his chest, sobbing quietly, mourning Cassandra and the Club and what the hell were you going to do now? Did Harrison tell anyone else about you? Was your life permanently in danger now?

After ten minutes of traveling across the City, Venom finally came to a stop on an older building’s rooftop, holding you a little tighter as he walked over to a rooftop access door, the claw-marks where the lock used to be telling you exactly who had destroyed it.

He was silent as he shouldered his way through, the door clanging a little as it shut behind him. He carried you down three flights of stairs before pausing at another door, listening, and you held you breath a little as he used a tendril to open it, then strode over to an apartment.

Another tendril manifested a key from somewhere in his form, sliding into the lock, and he nudged the door open, ducking through. The lights were already on, and you glanced around the spartan, slightly messy apartment as he kicked the door shut, then carried you over to a couch.

“ARE YOU HURT?”

The soft, worried, rumble made you shake your head, shivering as he gently set you down onto the worn furniture, crouching in front of your afterwards. That pale gaze took you in, from your ears to your feet, a low growl leaving him when he closed a hand around your right ankle and rose your foot, blood dripping from the glass embedded in your sole.

He sent you a disgruntled look, as if he thought you’d lied to him, and you shrugged. “I think I’m in shock,” you offered helplessly, shivering a little as you hugged yourself, wishing you weren’t just in a set of lingerie.

Venom frowned at you, then you got a front seat to an odd thing as the blackness peeled away from Eddie, baring his face and then his body as it vanished into his skin. The man had a matching frown in his face, and you blinked at him, in awe and still a little scared.

“It’s okay,” he murmured, his tone begging you to believe him. “I promise it’s okay. Just… Just sit tight a minute, okay?”

“…okay.”

Eddie rose to his feet, and you sat there, shivering, as he vanished down a hallway, the sound of him rummaging drifting back to you. He came back with a tee shirt and a blanket, and you forced a smile as you accepted both, glad for the clothes as you pulled the tee onto yourself.

As soon as you were covered, Eddie wrapped the blanket around your shoulders, cocooning you in it. You stayed silent as you watched him walk to the small kitchen, wetting a dish cloth and grabbing a second dry one before he shucked out of his jacket and moved back to you.

He was gentle as he took your bloodstained hands in his, gently cleaning the dried blood from your skin before he sat on the edge of the coffee table and lifted your right foot onto his lap.

“It was a good move, by the way. With the shoe,”

“I left my taser in my purse,” you muttered, smiling a little when he huffed a laugh. Blackness seeped out of his hands, curling around your ankle, brushing the underside of your foot, and you jerked a little at the sensation. “Tickles.”

“We’ll be careful,” Eddie promised, and you tried to hold still as the obsidian bit that you realized was _Venom_ carefully tugged some pieces of glass out of your flesh. You hissed at the pain, feeling blood drip down your sole.

Eddie gently used the cloth, cool with water, to ease the sting of having the shards of glass removed, waiting until Venom had completed his work before tying the second, dry, dish cloth around your foot. “Better?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“We’re sorry,” he said after a long stretch of silence. “About everything. We thought we’d scouted the area around the restaurant properly, but we must have missed a car or something. Only way they could have gotten those photos.”

“We. You and Venom. Your ‘friend’.”

His mouth twitched a little. “Yeah.”

“Who’s… A part of you?”

“Kinda, yeah.”

You thought about that. Weighted it against the trauma you’d just seen, and decided that it wasn’t that bad. “Did he have to eat those guys heads?”

“Oh. Kinda? He, uh… prefers live prey.”

“….well. That’s… horrible.”

“We’d _never_ hurt you, though!” Eddie stressed. “We– Venom– He only hurts the bad guys. It’s a rule.”

“A STUPID RULE.”

Your eyes widened as a black stalk rose from Eddie’s back, seeping through his shirt, Venom’s head and face materializing on the end of the obsidian tendril. Pale, opal-like, eyes fixed onto you, and you swallowed thickly, holding still as Venom flowed over to you on a sinuous extension and licked at your cheek.

“WOULD NEVER HURT YOU, MORSEL. WE LIKE YOU. WE LIKED WATCHING YOU DANCE.”

Well, that was better than the alternative, now wasn’t it? “T-Thank you.”

“Ease off, bud, she’s still shaken up,” Eddie muttered, nudging at Venom, who grumbled a little and eased out of your personal space. “Look, you can stay here tonight, take the bed, we’ll crash on the couch.”

You thought about being alone, with your memories still too fresh, the sounds of gunfire and your near death, and shuddered. “I don’t…. I don’t want to be alone.”

Venom rumbled something, and Eddie frowned for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

A gasp left you as obsidian tendrils lashed out to pick you up off the couch, the blanket falling from your shoulders as you were deposited into Eddie’s waiting arms. He rose to his feet as Venom vanished into his skin again, carrying you down the hallway, and into a messy bedroom. “Sorry. Don’t usually have guests.”

“S’fine,” you murmured as he deposited you on the bed. You wriggled to the side, then slid your arms into the tee shirt you were wearing to unhook your bra and take it off, pulling it out of the sleeve of the tee when you were done.

“Cute,” Eddie snickered, having watched you shimmy out of it without dislodging the tee.

You huffed a weak laugh as he tucked the sheets and blanket around you before climbing into bed next to you, on _top_ of the bedding. You kind of curled into yourself, shivering despite the warmth, relaxing a little when Eddie wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to his chest.

Black tendrils reached out once the two of you were settled, twining around you, tucking you close, and you found yourself curling your fingers around fistfuls of Eddie’s shirt, clinging to him as a strangled sob left you.

“Shh,” Eddie murmured into your hair, raising a hand to pull the pins out of the messy updo and running his fingers through the locks. “S’okay. We’ve got you. It’s okay.”

You nodded, silently, hiccuping for breath, feeling him rub a hand up and down your back. Everything was overwhelming, everything was just a giant mess now. What would you do without a job? The other girls had seen Cassandra get shot, surely they’d tell the cops that the gunman had been after _you_. What would happen then?

Your mind swirled around in a circle, round and round, until, inexorably, exhaustion took over. The feeling of Eddie stroking your hair and rubbing your back compiled with the mental tiredness until everything just crashed, and darkness took you.

.

.

.

 


	44. Lightning in a Bottle

Prompt - Prompt for ya! Reader is a hero/anti-hero who teams up with Spider-man to take down some baddies, when Venom crashes the party because they have some beef with said baddies and want to send a message. Reader and Venom hit it off right away, (despite never meeting before) que the heavy flirting, sultry looks, and constant checking each other out with an increasingly uncomfortable Peter Parker in the background

This turned into a fic all on it’s own. I had so much fun with it. Almost 6500 words!

This takes place in New York and Spider-Man IS AN ADULT! Like in the comics. ADULT! (I can’t thirst over Tom Holland’s Spidey he’s a kid and that’s wrong to me.) Spidey and Venom are civil to each other in this, though Spidey doesn’t approve of Venom’s… methods, of dealing with ‘bad guys’. (Venom’s biting of heads is from the Movie, otherwise, I kept him ‘generic’ enough that he could be from either the Movie or the Comics.)

* * *

.

.

.

You sighed as you moved to sit on the edge of the Daily Bugle’s rooftop, legs dangling over the long fall. Night was always when you felt that New York came live, all the lights chasing away the darkness that fell over the world, the City glowing with a life of it’s own.

Though, you were a little biased. Electricity was your power, you could sense it, in everything. At night, it was more apparent how the City was like a living being. You could see the heart of it at Times Square, all the lit up streets and buildings like the circulation system and muscle. Deep still, under ground, ran the subway, the ‘feeling’ of the electricity muted due to being buried under concrete but still there. 

And, if you really, really, focused, you could sense all the people. Little flickers of energy and electrical impulses and neurons firing, like tiny factories, just walking around. 

You needed the city, needed the power that thrummed in it. You didn’t like not feeling electricity around you, available to tap into at just a touch or thought. The country scared you, if you were honest - nothing to pull energy from, no heartbeat, other the faint blips of energy from living things. 

Shaking your head to reorient your thoughts, you leaned back, bracing yourself on your hands as you tilting your head to stare up at the dark sky, squinting a little in order to pick out some weak starlight.

Your self-appointed crime fighting ‘teacher’ was late. Again. Ten more minutes and you’d leave without him.

Why Spider-Man, of all people, had decided that you needed a ‘teacher’ was beyond you. You’d spent four years at Xavier’s School for Mutants, had trained with the best, but their views, always hoping for the best, looking for the light in the darkness, had rankled you.

You’d left three years ago, with expert control of your powers, and a chip on your shoulder. Life wasn’t as black and white, good and evil, as some of the people at the School had believed. Life was shades of grey. It was impossible to save everyone. And not everyone deserved to be saved. Sometimes, you had to fight fire with fire. Sometimes you needed a heavy hand.

A familiar energy entered your range of awareness, and you grumbled. 

Finally. 

Spider-Man landed on the roof behind you with barely a sound, and you tilted your head way back to look at him, disgruntled. “You’re late. Again. Remind me why I put up with you insisting that you follow me around every night?”

“Because you can’t go around electrocuting people?”

You rolled your eyes. “I only electrocuted that man a little. He lived. Besides, he was a _rapist_.”

He sighed the sigh of a man low on patience, and you stuck your tongue out at him before righting your head and looking out across city again. 

“You stabbed that other guy.”

A fond smile spread over your lips as you touched the pouch attached to your belt and thigh. It held seven throwing knives. Metal conducted electricity wonderfully, and a knife in a running bad guy made it easier to lob a bolt at them and strike your target. 

“Again,” you shrugged, kicking your legs a little. “ _Rapist_.”

“Could have just knocked him out with that kung fu of yours.”

“Karate actually. And I’m just a brown belt. Really only learned it to help with my control. Xavier’s idea.” You glanced at him as he moved to stand next to you, as unconcerned at being on the on the very edge of the roof as you were. 

“Still. More than most of the low life’s know.”

“I prefer my powers,” you smirked, raising a hand, watching as little sparks of electricity rose from your skin, crackling like a mini thunderstorm in your palm. “Much more efficient. Can’t fucking run if you’re spasming on the ground.”

“I’d have thought that living at Xavier’s would have taught you _compassion_.”

You snorted. “Compassion. For rapists and murderers and muggers? For people who prey on others? Sorry, Spidey, that boat don’t float.”

He turned his head to frown at you, those white eyes near glowing from the dark red of his mask. “And that’s why I keep tabs on you.”

“Yippee. Does that mean we can go now?” You didn’t wait for an answer as you hopped off the edge. Enjoyed the brief rush of the air, the feeling of gravity taking hold and pulling you down, before you gathered your energy, letting it crackle in the air around you. 

Your physical form glowed as you let yourself fall, closing your eyes as your power took hold. Flesh - and the specialized suit that Xavier and Beast had created for you - turned into electricity, and you laughed, energy bubbling around you in joy, as you slipped into a nearby transformer, gliding along the power lines.

Could feel Spider-Man’s familiar energy as he followed, web-slinging after you. You merely enjoyed being in the sea of current, spreading your awareness out, jumping from power line to street lamp and back again. Zipped across blocks and blocks, ‘reading’ the energy of the unsuspecting people you passed. 

Finally, you slid sideways and up, leaving the grid and arching up into a brightly glowing sign atop another roof.

Returning to your physical form felt like a gut punch, unnatural, slow, heavy. But you knew better than to stay in the current too long - it was dangerous. Lulling. You could lose yourself and scatter across the entire city’s grid if you weren’t careful.

Now, reformed, a little high with the euphoria of being in that much power, a pleased hum left you, hands running through your hair, bits of static crackling against your fingertips.

“Feel better?” Spidey asked as he landed on the back of the sign, sticking there on hands and feet, looking down at you curiously. He’d known a lot about your powers when he’d first approached you. And now, remembering that one of his enemies was Electro, you wondered if he followed you around out of fear that you’d turn evil.

Well. That thought ruined your good mood.

“I did,” you muttered, shoulders sagging a little as you turned to fix him with a look. “I’m not like Electro.”

He visibly jerked. “Never said you were.”

“But that’s why, isn’t it? Why you follow me around? Because of what I can do. Because I can do the same stuff that psycho-boy can. Though I do dress better.”

“Your suit looks like something out of that horrible Tron remake.”

“Screw off. That was a good movie.”

His voice plainly said that he was rolling his eyes at you. “You kids these days, no appreciation for the classics.”

“Old fart.”

“Raichu.”

You blinked. “Pokemon? Really? And Raichu? A rat? Please. I’m more of a Jolteon.” Grinning, you turned and dashed for the opposite edge of the roof, a bolt of electricity helping push you into the air as you jumped. The small exertion of energy allowed you to bridge the span between buildings, and your boots hit the other rooftop with a thud. “You coming?”

“What? No more power line surfing?”

You shook your head as you hopped to another roof, took another run and jumped again. “I’m practically blind to the outside world when I’m in there, so no. It’s useful for travel, not for patrolling.”

Spidey send out a web and swung past, close enough to keep up conversation. “You know, Electro could fly.”

“Tried that once. Turns out that I’m not good with manipulating magnetic fields. Fell off the Mansion’s roof and broke my arm. Rather not do that again.” You leapt to another building. “I can sort of float, slow my descent. But, I kinda suck at it.”

There was a moment of silence where you ran parkour across rooftops, while Spidey web slung his way after you. Then. “You realize I could carry you?”

“Are you saying I’m slow?”

“I’m saying that– Oh. Shit.”

That drew you up. Spidey saying ‘shit’. Chalk you surprised. “What?”

His movements turned sharp, focused, like they did when he sensed danger, and his web-slinging sped up, enough that he was outpacing you.

Growling - this had better not be some ‘protect the female’ trope - you _pulled_ on power in the building ahead of you, curled your will around it, and used it to sling shot your way through the air after him. Landed on a street lamp, anchoring yourself to the metal with a lasso of energy, then yipped when an explosion lit up the night. 

Naturally, Spider-Man was in the thick of it, bouncing between heavily armed men, kicking and punching, acting like a super bouncy ball of danger. Deciding that you didn’t want him to have all the fun, you jumped to the ground, pulled out a couple of throwing knifes, aimed, and launched them.

One hit a goon in the side, the other sinking into anothers outer thigh. You sent out a couple of bolts of electricity as you ran towards the fight, smirking as the two dropped to the ground, convulsing as the amps of energy seized their muscles, like a high powered taser.

Spidey rebounded off a parked truck and threw himself into an alley, and the bullets and swearing that greeted him had you rolling your eyes. You paused long enough to wrench your knives out of the two downed men, then skidded around the corner, taking cover behind a large dumpster to avoid being shot. 

When the bullet’s ran out, the sounds of guns being reloaded, you exploded out of cover, literally. More energy gathered in your right palm, coalescing into a ball that you threw at the nearest gunman. He went down in a spasming heap, his finger tightening on the trigger of his pistol and incidentally shooting his friend in the foot.

The second man went down with a howl, clutching at his bleeding appendage, and you took him out of the fight with a savage kick to the head. There was an open garage-like door to your left, and you could sense people within, along with a bright ball of energy that kept moving, bounding from floor to wall.

Another explosion rocked the entire building, and you grimaced as you headed in _._ There were six more thugs inside, five standing in a circle, guns aimed outwards. In the center was the sixth, a tall, muscled, bearded mountain of a man with an honest-to-God missile launcher.

Spidey was doing his psychotic flubber impersonation, constantly in movement, dodging bullets and the occasional missile as he bounced around. There were a ton of crates, piles almost twenty feet high, that he was using as cover, and your eyes widened when a missile hit one, sending guns flying everywhere.

Great. Weapon dealers. 

Grinning, you tapped into the building’s power, making the lights flicker as you absorbed some extra energy. Now that you were charged up, you broke cover and sent another blast of electricity out to hit the nearest thug. It hit him in the shoulder, sending him spinning, bullets spattering the ground behind you you rolled behind a crate.

The weapon-filled box at your back absorbed bullets, and you exhaled a controlled breath as you went incorporeal, and darted out into the open again. Bullets passed through you, ineffectively, as you ran forward, charging the group.

Mr. Missile Launcher took aim, and you leapt, front flipping over the gunmen, landing in front of him. You reached up, placed your hands on either side of his head, and basically gave him a rather aggressive electroshock treatment. His eyes rolled back into his head, arms and legs twitching, and you let the careful flow of power wrack him from the outside in for a good ten seconds before letting go.

His fellow thugs all turned to stare as he slumped to the floor, unconscious. Spider-Man took advantage, leaping out of cover, and a few kicks and punches ended whatever fight remained.

“Is he dead?”

“He is _not_ ,” you huffed, insulted, as you reverted back into your physical form, rolling your shoulders at the heavy sensation of gravity and blood and bone taking over again.

Spidey walked over after webbing up the gunmen, and nudged Missile Launcher Dude in the ribs with his foot. The man groaned, eyes fluttering, drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth, but didn’t move.

“LOOKS LIKE WE’RE LATE TO THE PARTY.”

The deep, growling, voice, had both you and Spidey spinning to face a potential threat. For the second time that night, you heard the usually holier-than-thou arachnid curse.

You, meanwhile, merely arched an eyebrow as a massive form stepped out of the shadows. Tall, easily seven feet, muscled and moving like a predator, too many fangs and pale, opalescent, eyes. 

Venom. You’d heard about him of course. Spider-Man had told you to run if you saw him. He was… intriguing. You’d felt the sickly energy of the bad guys you’d fought, murderers and rapists and worse. Venom was… different. Two types of energy melded into one, braided together until they were unable to be separated. But neither of them ‘felt’ bad.

“You’re fashionably late,” you drawled with a smirk, drawing that pale gaze. You knew you looked good in your suit - it was just tight enough to accent certain curves - and your smirk grew into a grin when Venom visibly looked you over, from your boots up to your eyes.

Deciding that one good turn deserved another, you did the same. Goddamn, he was ripped. Could probably bench press a bus without trying. By the time your gaze rose up to meet his, you were smiling.

“YOU’RE NEW,” he rumbled, fangs bared in a grin as he crossed his arms across his chest, and yeah, he was flexing a little.”WHAT’S A PRETTY MORSEL LIKE YOU DOING WITH A GOODY-TWO-SHOES?”

”He thinks he’s my chaperone,” you shrugged, eyeing Spider-Man out of the corner of your eyes when he made a slight choking sound next to you. “You’re never this quiet. Usually I can’t get you to shut up. What’s the issue?”

“That’s _Venom._ ” _  
_

“Yeeees. I am aware of that fact.”

“You’re _flirting_ with _Venom_.”

“And this is a problem because?”

“It’s Venom!”

“You sound like a broken record.” Deciding that he was being stupid, you moved away from him and returned your attention to Venom. “So, we crashed your moment, did we?”

“WE’VE BEEN WATCHING THIS PARTICULAR GANG FOR A WHILE. HONESTLY, THEY’RE NOT OUR MAIN TARGET. BUT THE BUYER OF THESE GUNS, _HE_ IS WHO WE’RE INTERESTED IN.”

You grimaced. “And we kinda ruined everything. Shit.” Frowning, you joined Spidey in turning to eye the unconscious guy you’d low-key electrocuted. “Well…. we could semi-politely ask for information?”

Spider-Man eyed you warily. “Semi-politely?”

“It’ll involve threats and a bit of electricity. Nothing lethal.”

“You are not going to _torture_ him.”

“Well how the hell else are we going to figure out who the buyer is, numbnuts? My ES-fucking-P is on the fritz.”

That shut him up, though you could feel his disapproving glare.

“WE’RE WITH THE PRETTY ONE. THE BUYER IS THE RESPONSIBLE FOR DISTRIBUTING THE WEAPONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.” Venom stalked forward, deliberately brushing against you as he passed you, and you smirked, bumping your hip again his. 

A chuckle left Venom before he bent down to closed a taloned hand around the unconscious man’s throat. “WE NEED HIS NAME.”

And then Spidey did a Stupid Thing and clapped a hand down on Venom’s shoulder. “Don’t. Leave them to the police. They’ll confiscate all the guns, none of them will reach the streets.”

You groaned, loudly, and threw your hands up as you spun away. “I don’t believe this.”

Venom went still, merely turning his head to glare at Spider-Man. “AND WHEN THE BUYER SIMPLY IMPORTS MORE GUNS? IF WE MISS THIS CHANCE TO FIGURE OUT WHO HE IS, MORE INNOCENT PEOPLE WILL DIE. HONESTLY, WEB-SLINGER, IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.”

Was it strange that you found Venom to be the voice of reason?

“Compromise: we clean up the bodies, web them into a corner, and wait and see who shows up.” Both males looked at you, and you shrugged. “It’s New York. No one bats an eye at explosions anymore. Assuming someone called the cops, we might still have some time before they show. And, since none of these guys had time to call said buyer, then he’s probably still on his way. This many crates, he’ll need a huge truck to transport them. So, we wait, and we watch.”

“OH, WE _LIKE_ YOU,” Venom chuckled, dropping the thug into a heap on the floor. “WE’LL GO FETCH THE FIVE OUTSIDE.”

Spidey stared at you after you’d taken a good look at Venom’s ass on the way by. “What?”

“Just… Ew.”

“Oh, grow up. He’s hot.”

“You know he bites off people’s _heads._ ” _  
_

“ONLY THE BAD GUYS!” Venom bellowed from outside.

You smirked at Spider-Men when he grumbled. “What? Jealous I’m not into you?”

“What? No! I’m– I have a girlfriend!”

“Uh huh. Suuure.” You moved to grab the unconscious guy’s arm and dragged him towards the other thugs that were webbed up. “C’mere and web this fool up. We can hide them in a crate or something.”

Heaving a long suffering sigh, Spidey paused to massage his temple, then headed after you.

Ten minutes later, the three of you were on the rooftop. You were sitting again, legs dangling over the edge. Spider-Man was crouched on the corner, keeping an eye out for trucks coming in from the East. You had the dubious honor of watching the other direction, and it was boring.

Heavy footsteps drew your attention, and you glanced up as Venom moved to your side, dropping down to sit next to you. “Thought you were watching South?”

“THE OTHER END OF THE ALLEYWAY IS BLOCKED OFF. THE ONLY WAY FOR ANYONE TO COLLECT THE GUNS IS TO USE THIS STREET.”

“Ah.” You tried not to blush when he studied you, long tongue licking at his fangs for a moment. Finally, being stared at made you uncomfortable, and you turned your head to meet his gaze. “What?”

“YOU’RE NOT AFRAID OF US.”

“Should I be?”

Massive shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “MOST PEOPLE ARE.”

“No offense, but you are not the weirdest person I’ve ever met. _Hell_ , I’m basically a walking, talking, battery, I have absolutely no right to judge anyone.”

He chuckled, a deep, rumbling, tone that vibrated into your bones. “SPIDER JUDGES US.”

You snorted. “He judges me, too.”

“I do not!”

“Yes, you bloody well do! And stop eavesdropping!”

“I’m ten feet away, how can I _not_ hear you?!”

“Ugh.” 

An amused rumble left Venom as he leaned towards you, those fangs gazing your cheek as he audibly inhaled a breath of your scent, a ragged, predatory, sort of purr leaving him. “WE COULD ALWAYS DITCH HIM AFTERWARDS.”

There came the sound of theatrical retching.

You extended your arm around Venom’s bulk and flipped Spider-Man the bird. “Yes. _Definitely_. I’d love to.”

Spider-Man’s head snapped towards you so fast you thought he might snap his neck. “You can’t _seriously–_ ” _  
_

You sent a tiny jolt of electricity towards him, hearing Venom’s chuckle when Spidey yelped at the shock. “I am a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions. So _zip it._ ”

A muscled arm hesitantly curled around your waist, and you gave a happy little wiggle, snuggling into Venom’s side. He was warm, the odd dual thrum of energy you could sense from him alien, yet comforting. His hand came to rest on your hip, possessively, and you smiled a little as you leaned into him.

“Police are here.”

Spidey’s voice broke the companionable silence that had fallen over you and Venom, and you mourned the lack of contact when he pulled away. 

Huffing, you followed him over to the East corner of the building, joining the two males in eyeing the five police cars that had arrived. Your shoulders sagged at the thought of that weapons dealer getting away, and mentally told yourself that you’d help Venom track him down no matter what…

When the sound of jake brakes rattling to a violent stop caught your attention.

You turned to look over your left shoulder, blinking at the large eighteen wheeler that had screeched to a stop at the edge of the block. “Welp, _they’re_ not happy to see cops, now are they?”

“TOO MUCH OF A COINCIDENCE TO NOT BE THE ONES WE’RE AFTER,” Venom growled, watching as the truck started to back up towards an empty intersection. “WE’LL FOLLOW THEM BACK TO THEIR LAIR.”

Spider-Man sighed, rising out of his crouch and sending a web out to a building across the street. You blinked when he held a hand out to you. “You’re not fast enough to keep up with a truck. I’ll carry you.”

Debating whether to be insulted or not, you were unprepared for Venom to rush over and scoop you into his arms.

“WE’LL TAKE HER!” he announced gleefully, and you caught a glimpse of Spidey facepalming before Venom launched the two of you into the air.

Dark webbing shot out to anchor to an apartment, Venom’s left arm wrapping tight around your waist as the two of you arched across the street. The speed of it had you wrapping your arms around Venom’s neck, holding on as he followed the large truck that had reached the intersection and was now barrelling away from the scene.

Spider-Man shot past you, showing off or just wanting to get the night over with, you didn’t know. He glanced at you as he went by, and you grinned as you freed a hand to wave at him, pulling a deep chuckle from Venom that vibrated into you. 

“He acts like you’re the anti-christ or something,” you frowned.

“HE DOES NOT APPROVE OF OUR… ‘METHODS’ OF DEALING WITH BAD GUYS. WE FIND HIM TO BE NAIVE.”

“How so?”

Another web struck the brick facade of a building as Venom tugged the two of you higher. “TOO MUCH FAITH IN THE ‘JUSTICE SYSTEM’. IT’S FLAWED. CRIMINALS CAN CHEAT THE SYSTEM. THEY DO SO OFTEN. WE CAUGHT A RAPIST ONCE - HE WAS BACK ON THE STREETS THREE MONTHS LATER. SO, WE KILLED HIM. NOW HE CAN’T HURT ANYONE ANYMORE.”

“Spidey only sees the good in people. The possibility that they’ll change for the better. That they can learn from their mistakes,” you said as you leaned your head on Venom’s shoulder, gaze locked on the eighteen wheeler as it ran a red light.

“SOME WILL LEARN. MOST WON’T.”

You hummed agreement. Then, “Can I ask you something?”

“OF COURSE, MORSEL.”

You quirked an eyebrow at the ‘morsel’ nickname. “I can sense people’s energies. The electrical impulses they emit. Had someone call it their ‘aura’ once, and… well, I’m not sure _what_ I sense, really. But, you. You’re _different_. I’ve sensed mutants and humans before…. but - why do you have _two_ energies in you?”

Venom glanced down at you with a smirk, then, as you watched, a bit of his face peeled away. Your jaw dropped upon seeing a blue-eyed man wink at you with a smile before the blackness reformed, returning to Venom’s normal visage. “WE ARE BONDED. SYMBIOTE AND HUMAN. THE SPIDER DIDN’T TELL YOU?”

“You’ve never come up, actually.”

A laugh left him. “OH. OH THE THINGS WE COULD TELL YOU ABOUT HIM, LITTLE NIBBLE. OUR HUMAN HALF, EDDIE, HE _WORKS_ WITH PARKER, AT THE DAILY BUGLE.”

“ _What?_ ” You sent a glare at the blue and red form web-slinging nearby. “Peter Parker - the one that does all the Spider-Man pictures, is…. Giant cheater takes pictures of _himself_ to sell to the paper?” Venom chuckled and nodded, and you huffed an annoyed sigh. “If he took a picture of me I’m frying his ass.”

Whatever else he was going to say vanished when the truck rattled to a stop, air brakes hissing. Venom let go of his webline, arms wrapping protectively around you, and you held tight as he dropped twenty feet to land on an adjacent rooftop from the warehouse the truck was parked in front of.

Spider-Man landed next to you as Venom gently set you on your feet, taloned hands sliding down yours arms to give you hands a brief squeeze before fully releasing you. You patted him on the chest in thanks, then went to punch Spidey in the shoulder.

It showed that he didn’t consider you a threat, because his ‘spider sense’ didn’t warn him to avoid the strike.

“Ow! Hey! What?”

You planted your hands on your hips and glared. “Do you have pictures of me?!”

He looked at you, then over at a smirking Venom, and audibly growled. “What part of ‘secret identity’ don’t you get?! Dammit, Venom! You can’t go telling everyone who I am!”

“WE DIDN’T TELL ‘EVERYONE’, JUST HER.”

“Ugh.”

“Oi!” You glared some more as Spider-Man’s attention refocused on you. “Pictures. Of me. Yes or no?”

“Some,” he admitted, actually having the good graces to flinch when electricity crackled across your body in accordance with your anger. “But you don’t photograph well. You’re always _just_ out of focus and kinda glowy. I think it’s the energy field that you exude. Screws up the sensors.”

“If I _ever_ see a picture of myself in that damned newspaper, you and I are going to have a falling out,” you warned angrily _,_ jabbing your right index finger into his chest. “And you don’t want that, trust me.”

The white ‘eyes’ of his mask narrowed a bit. “You realize that I’m a better fighter than you.”

“I’m _meaner_ ,” you shot back as you spun on your heel and went to glare at the warehouse.

“AND WE LIKE HER,” Venom added with a low growl that reverberated through the air. “SHE WOULDN’T BE FACING YOU ALONE, WEB-SLINGER.”

You smirked a little at the protective snarl, then focused your full attention on the warehouse while Spider-Man muttered something under his breath.

There were ten in the building, you could feel them when you concentrated: little organic factories of neuron fireworks and nerve impulses. “There’s ten in there,” you announced into the tense silence. “Along with at least three vehicles - I can feel the power from the batteries. Though… one of them has a weird weapon. Guns don’t have energy fields, but this thing does.”

“They know you’re hunting them?” Spider-Man asked Venom, and you glanced back in time to see him nod. “Could be a sonic gun.”

You frowned. “Sonic gun?”

“LOUD SOUNDS - SONICS - CAN HURT US. MAYBE KILL US,” Venom gritted out from behind clenched fangs, the blackness of his body seemingly rippling a little in distaste. 

“I can drain it of power if I can get close enough,” you offered.

“You get close enough and it’ll burst your eardrums if you get caught.” Spider-Man warned. “It’s _loud_.”

“Then I’ll be quick about it.”

“Three sided attack then,” Spidey announced with a sigh. “I’ll go in the front, draw their fire. You and Venom split up, come in from the sides. _No killing._ ”

“That still leaves maiming and mild electrocution on the menu!” you grinned, as you jumped off the edge of the roof, using what little talent you had with electro-magnetism to slow your fall until your boots touched the ground. 

You heard Venom’s appreciative rumble from above. “FIESTY.”

Followed by an exasperated: “Oh, shut up, will you?”

“You boys coming or what?” You called up to them before darting across the street, sticking to the shadows as you sidled around the eighteen wheeler. Judging the coast clear, you made your way to the west side of the building, boots silent on the asphalt.

You could sense the people within. Agitated, but not on alert. Could sense the unique ‘signatures’ of your companions as they took their places, followed Spider-Man’s movements as he crawled in through an upper window.

He stuck to the ceiling, avoiding detection, until, once he was close enough to the main group, he merely down and landed on one of the men, taking him out with a precise kick. 

You took that as the signal to go, melted the side door you’d found with a tight blast of energy, then rushed in. Gunfire echoed loudly in the building, and you caught sight of Spidey sending out two perfectly aimed weblines, divesting a couple of thugs of their weapons. 

One of the others caught sight of you as you ran for one of the vans parked inside, taking shelter behind one. It absorbed bullets and a scream from what was _definitely_ a sonic gun, rocking on it’s wheels at the impact.

Thinking fast, you dropped down onto your stomach, aimed at someone’s feet, and sent a tightly compacted stream of electricity up through the floor and into him. He dropped, muscles contracting against his will, and you forced energy into him until he passed out.

Rapid footsteps rounding the van made you roll under it, popping up onto your feet on the other side in time to see Venom come in from the roof, of all places. He burst through and dropped to the ground with a roar, landing in the midst of the goons. Talons ripped through flesh, one man’s arm ripped from it’s socket.

Whatever Venom was made out of, whatever covered the man within - the symbiote - caught and expelled bullets as fast as they were pumped into him as he waded through the gunfire, picked up another man, and bodily _threw_ him across the warehouse, leaving him to hit a distant wall with a sickening thud.

The thug with the sonic gun took aim at Venom, and you shook yourself out of your stupor, running forward. The goon saw you out of the corner of his eye and turned at the last second, finger tightening on the trigger.

You went incorporeal. Shed the heaviness of a solid form and slipped sideways. The _scream_ of sonics clipped your arm, and you cried out as the vibrations of it broke your control over your form. Your left arm from the elbow down just vanished, electrons scattering, the bonds that held them together breaking apart, and you shrieked in pain and shock - you’d _never_ _known_ you were vulnerable to anything except water in that form.

Panicking, you tapped into the building’s power, _pulling_. Light bulbs exploded as the warehouse went dark, and you threw your right hand out when the man took aim again, an arch of electricity lashing out to hit the thug in the chest. 

He just dropped to the floor, out cold or dead you didn’t know and didn’t care because your arm was still _gone_.

There was panicked yelling around you, people fumbling in the dark. Heard Venom’s loud snarl, a snap and pop that you didn’t want to think about, and then Spider-Man was stepping into the light cast by your form.

You didn’t need to breathe without lungs, but you were panting just the same. “My arm’s gone,” you stated, stupidly, voice echoing and slightly crackling with static.

“Can you to fix it?”

“No _fucking_ clue. This has never happened before! Maybe if I slip back into the city’s power grid–” You trailed off as Spidey moved past you, to the man you’d kind of electrocuted. He knelt down, pressing fingers to the man’s throat, then looked up from the dead thug to you, the whites of his mask narrowing. “I panicked.”

“ _This_ is why I keep tabs on you.”

“My. Arm. Is. Gone.”

“It’ll probably regenerate with time!

“ _Probably?!_ ” 

“You have the control not to kill. Panicking doesn’t give you the right to–!”

You bristled, and stomped towards him. “You value his life so much then _fine!_ ” Angry, you knelt and slapped your right hand onto the thug’s chest. _Pushed_ energy into him, forcably restarting neurons, impulses and nerve endings. Muscles spasmed, his heart vibrating in his chest before it started to pump again, and you shoved away from him and back up onto your feet with a grunt once his body had restarted itself. “Happy now?!”

You couldn’t cry in your electrical form, though your chest felt tight and your glowing eyes felt hot as you stormed away from a stunned Spider-Man and the semi-conscious thug at his feet. Ignored Venom entirely when he rumbled a question to you as you passed him, stepping over broken and unconscious bodies as you headed out of the building.

There was a street light just outside, and you sighed as you lay a hand against it, feeling it’s ties into the power lines beneath the street and further, into the power grid itself. It sang, humming with life, and you abandoned everything as you let it pull you into the power lines, your form simply vanishing as you dove in.

The endless well of energy swirled around you as you sank into it, diving deep. _Pulled_ on as much as you could, gathering it into your broken form, feeling new energy replace what you’d lost. 

Only when you were certain that you could reform a physical shape with all limbs attached did you slip back out into the corporeal, jumping out of a nearby transformer and taking form on the rooftop across the warehouse.

Slowly, painfully, you shifted back into your physical body, gaze locked on your left arm as the flesh reformed. Your arm was _there_ again, fingers working, though stiff, and when you pulled up the sleeve of your uniform, the skin was all bruised and swollen.

Cradling your aching arm to your side, you shoved a hand through your hair, shaking out little bits of static, then went to sit on the edge of the roof, needing a moment to catch your breath and quell the last little bits of panic and fear that were still swirling inside you. The last of the adrenaline in your system made your hands shake, and you clenched your right hand into a fist on your thigh.

Movement from the warehouse drew your gaze, and you sighed when you spotted Venom, watching as he scanned the street and then the rooftops before his pale gaze locked onto you. You mustered up enough emotion to wave at him, tiredness gripping you as he bounded across the street, then climbed the wall until he was level with you, arms braced on either side of your legs.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

“Got my arm back. So… maybe?”

He looked at your returned limb, eyes narrowing at the bruises on your skin. “HOW BADLY ARE YOU HURT?”

“Just bruises, I think. Doesn’t feel broken. It just hurts.” A sigh left you as you shook your head, your gaze dropping to your legs. “Never had my form break up like that before. I had to dive into the City’s power grid in order to reform properly.”

Venom stared at you for a long moment before hauling himself up to sit beside you. A startled little gasp left you when he scooped you up, relocating you to onto his lap, before he wrapped his arms around you in a hug and cuddled you close.

A shudder wracked you, and you closed your eyes as you leaned into him, the panic and fear from what had happened making you shake. 

“WE SHOULD THANK YOU,” he murmured after a moment, pulling a curious, tired, hum from you. “HE WAS AIMING AT US BEFORE YOU DREW HIS FIRE.”

“That was the general idea. I just didn’t know that the frequency and vibration could just… scatter me like that.” More movement from the roof of the warehouse drew your gaze again, and you blinked when you saw that Spider-Man’s costume looked a little haggard, torn in some places. “Did you attack Spidey?”

A low growl left Venom’s throat. “WE DIDN’T APPROVE OF HOW HE SPOKE TO YOU.”

You smiled, and snuggled into him, touched. He tightened his arms around you in response, a low rumble vibrated out of him, and you had the absurd notion that he was purring. “So, you got your guy?”

“WE DID. HE WON’T BE IMPORTING ANY MORE GUNS EVER AGAIN.”

“Good.”

“Hey.”

The call made you look up as Spider-Man landed on the edge of the roof next to Venom, and yeah, Spidey looked a little worse for wear. Venom loosed a warning rumble, hands clutching at you, and you smirked at the Spider when he visibly jerked in surprise.

“Okay, so, I was a bit of a jerk…” Spidey paused at the loud snarl that left Venom. “Okay, fine, a massive jerk.”

“You’re an asshole,” you corrected him.

“Okay _fine_ , I’m an asshole. The point is, I’m sorry and I’m glad you’re alright. You _are_ okay, right? Arm’s back?”

You rose your left arm, the ache increasing at the movement. “The arm _is_ back, but it hurts.”

Spider-Man rose a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “You, ah, need a ride home?”

“Venom’s gonna take me home,” you smirked, grinning when the one in question perked up with a pleased rumble, chest puffing out a little as he preened. 

“You’re insane, you know that?” Spidey muttered as Venom carefully got to his feet, keeping you in his arms the entire time. 

“Only enough to be interesting.”

“DEFINITELY OUR KIND OF GIRL.”

Spidey facepalmed again. “I’m surrounded by crazy people.”

“You’re the one that follows _me_ around,” you reminded him as Venom adjusted his hold on you, freeing an arm so he could send a webline out to an adjacent building. “What does that make you?”

“A sucker for punishment!” he yelled after you as Venom leapt off the building, swinging the two of you across the street.

You laughed and flipped him off again before looking at Venom. “So. I’m starving. You like pizza?”

“MEAT LOVERS ONLY.”

“Man after my own heart.”

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	45. All Night Long (NSFW)

Prompt - Can we get more nsfw for venom plz? Maybe Eddie is having sex with his gf and she riding him and venom is really desperate to fuck get senseless cause the show/sensation he can’t handle and wants to take over and in the middle of her riding she feels tendrils wrapping around her whole body and venom under her just forcibly bouncing her on that big dick and using his tendrils to pleasure her and it just hot and sexy. Plz?

* * *

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You and Eddie hadn’t had time alone in over a week. Between covering for a sick co-worker at your job and his work on a new investigative piece, you’d both been unable to sync up any free time until now.

When, _finally_ , you’d managed to be in the same room together for more than a fleeting moment, the two of you had been drawn together. Gentle kisses and a long hug had turned into groping and hunger and desperation to just get close again.

Now, you and Eddie were sprawled in bed, panting, gasping, his hands alternating from holding your hips or gripping your ass you rode him, undulating slowly as you tried to stretch things out.

“Ah, _fuck_ …. Missed this,” Eddie groaned, head tilting back into the pillows as you rolled your pelvis to his, your hands on his chest to balance yourself as you moved. “Missed you.”

“Missed you too,” you panted, closing your eyes when he bucked up into you, his hands sliding up your torso, skimming your ribs before cupping your breasts. He teased your nipples, thumbing them before kneading at you and you gasped, shivering, feeling yourself clench around his cock inside you and hearing his answering moan.

Eddie shifted under you, bracing himself, pulling a cry from you as he drove up into you, clearly intending to push you over the edge first. You shuddered a little, sliding your hands up his chest as you stretched out over him and stole a kiss. Laughed breathlessly when Eddie relocated a hand to the back of your head and pulled you closer, mouth hot and hungry on yours.

“Can’t– Shit.” Eddie grit his teeth, forehead pressed to yours as blackness rose from his skin, little tendrils reaching for you. “Vee! C’mon, man, not the time.”

You smirked, and wiped the anger from his face by tightening your inner muscles around his cock, his hips bucking into you desperately, breaking the slow, steady, rhythm. “Impatient, is he?”

“Just want _one_ time with you without him taking over,” he panted, breath hot against your cheek as he rocked up, one hand moving to your left breast while the other dropped to your ass, pushing you down onto him. “Fuck, you feel good.”

Shuddering, nearing the edge, you sat up again, straddling him properly as you rode him harder. Eddie’s hands roamed your body, kneading your ass, stroking your sides, palming your breasts. You threw your head back, gasping as he suddenly grabbed your hips, pulling you down to meet his hard thrusts, eyes widening when you felt his cock abruptly swell inside you, growing in size.

On the edge, you looked down at him, blinking as you watched obsidian blackness rise to cover Eddie, Venom taking over. Those pale, opalescent, eyes crinkled a little at the corners as black tendrils rose, wrapping around your thighs and hips, taloned hands gripping your ass as Venom bounced you on him.

“COULDN’T WAIT,” he growled, and you yelped in surprise when you felt a tendril extend from the base of his cock, wiggling against your clit. “WANT TO SEE YOU COME, OUR LOVE. WANT TO _FEEL_ YOU– HRR! JUST LIKE THAT.”

You cried out as your orgasm swept through you, muscles clenching, breath hitching in your throat. Had to brace your hands against Venom’s abdomen to keep from falling onto him, panting when he chuckled and kept moving, thrusting up into you with enough force that you literally bounced.

“THAT’S ONE,” he purred, talons slipping into your hair as he gently tugged you down, his tongue invading your mouth as he kissed you. His other hand covered your ass, encouraging your hips to move in counterpoint to his as he drove himself up into you. That tendril still kept stroking your clit, and you mewled into Venom’s mouth as your second orgasm rose in you.

Chuckling as you trembled, he relinquished your lips, letting you pant for breath as he sat up, readjusting you on his lap, and you cried out at the new angle, shuddering. You clutched at him, holding on, as he gripped your hips and lifted and dropped you onto his cock, a low, constant, rumbling growl vibrating out of him and into you.

Your fingers dug into his shoulders as a second climax hit you head on, whimpering when the tendril on your clit sped up, Venom’s hips bucking up into yours as he fucked you through another orgasm.

“SO BEAUTIFUL, WATCHING YOU LIKE THIS. FEEL SO _GOOD_.” He leaned in and licked a wet trail from your neck, up your throat, and across your cheek, purring loudly. “WE WANT MORE.”

It was too much. You were oversensitive, trembling, body locked in a constant rise and fall of pleasure. Felt him lick at the tears at the corners of your eyes as he sped up, fucking into you relentlessly, that tendril pressing onto your clit and vibrating a little. “V-Venom– Ah! F-Fuck!”

“A-ALMOST. ALMOST THERE. ONE MORE, MORSEL, ONE MORE.”

A wail left you, mouth open as a full body shudder wracked through you. Your third orgasm hit you like a truck, and you raked Venom’s back with your nails as you came apart. Heard his answering snarl, felt his fingers tighten painfully on your hips as he _shoved_ you down onto his cock, holding you close as he spilled inside you.

It took a moment for you to recover, panting for breath as you leaned against Venom bonelessly, unable to do anything except breathe and shiver. He continued to rock into you, slowly, gently, purring at every little aftershock that had you spasming around him.

He rumbled your name, nuzzling at you, nipping at your cheek as his hands roamed your body, stroking, kneading. His tongue soothed the feeling of sharp fangs against your skin before he kissed you, feasting on you for a long minute before the lack of air had you pulling away.

“MMMM. LOVE HOW YOU TASTE,” Venom purred, licking at your lips again as he reached out to coil more tendrils around you. “MISSED YOU, MORSEL. DON’T LIKE IT WHEN YOU’RE GONE.”

“Missed you, too,” you murmured, gasping when he grinned and lay back on the bed, leaving you to sprawl on top of him. The movement gave you a quick reminder that he was still buried in you, and you shivered at the sensation, whacking Venom in the shoulder when he chuckled.

He purred again, low, deep, baritone, rumble vibrating into you, and you sighed as you snuggled into his arms, feeling him nuzzle at you. “WE WANT MORE.”

“You’re just insatiable,” you teased, sliding your hands up his chest and around his neck, tugging him close for another kiss. He growled, tongue exploring your mouth, one taloned hand rising to the back of your head to keep you close.

You felt him harden inside you again, that tendril slowly stroking over your clit, and you shuddered, gasping, hips automatically rolling to his.

It was going to be a long night.

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	46. Big Trouble in Little San Francisco

Prompt - Hello, i love your work! so may i resquest a prompt with a badass/sarcastic girlfriend for eddie, like Something happen to us and eddie and venom to protect her but she kick some ass too and their shook because they want to protect her but she protect them from someone i dunno i hope that give you a better idea than mine !

 

This… didn’t come out the way I wanted. I rewrote it twice. Still not totally happy with it, but I’m worried I’ll ruin it if I tweak it any more.

Since Youtube doesn’t like links, copy/paste this into your browser to hear the music that inspired the fight scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac4J9344s2s (It’s ‘I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight’ by Hidden Citizens)

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You grinned as you stepped out of your office building and spotted Eddie leaning against a street light. He jerked as if poked, his gaze rising from his phone, a warm smile spreading over his lips when he spotted you.

Smiling, you wove through the mass of people, heels clacking on the pavement as you made your way over to him. “Hey, you! I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Steel blue eyes flickered a little as a white shadow flit across them before Eddie’s smile stretched into a grin. “Thought we’d pick you up for an early supper,” he said, reaching out to take your messenger bag from your shoulder.

“Aw, you’re sweet.” You rose up on your tiptoes to kiss him, slipping a hand in under his jacket to touch his ribs, chuckling when you felt a symbiote tendril curl around your fingers and squeeze. “Lemme guess, someone’s hungry?”

“When is he not hungry?” Eddie chuckled. You snickered at the thin black tendril that rose up from his jacket collar to flick at his left ear. “Vee - not in public!”

A soft laugh left you as you pulled away. “Hi Venom. Steak or Sushi?”

“Steak,” growled out of Eddie’s throat, the man coughing a little once the alien had relinquished control of his voice.

“Steak it is,” you chuckled, smiling again when Eddie hefted your bag onto his shoulder before taking your left hand in his, lacing his fingers with yours. “So, what’d you do all day? Eat anyone interesting?”

A laugh left him. “Nothing nearly that exciting. Just lots of research for the next article the editor tossed at me. A pharmaceutical group recently upped the price of some cancer drugs by a thousand percent.”

“Ugh. Gross.”

“Yeah. Assholes. And you?”

“Oh, yes, because I lead a glamorous life as a Human Resources lackey,” you snarked, rolling your eyes. “The new program they installed is shit, to be honest. It keeps crashing and causing problems.”

“So they fixed it until it broke?”

“Yup. And it’s breaking in an fantastic way. Half of the people I talked to today haven’t been paid in three months, others got seven times their bi-weekly pay in one lump sum, and three had funds taken out of their accounts… which, technically, should be impossible, but the new program is apparently a ‘huge success’.”

“Bureaucracy at it’s finest,” he muttered with a roll of his eyes, and you chuckled as you nodded your agreement. “Well, we’re here to distract you! Good food and then a quick wardrobe change at the apartment and we’ll head down to the fair that just got set up.”

“Oooh, yay! Dibs on the shooting games! I need to shoot something.”

Eddie laughed at your enthusiasm, hand releasing yours so he could relocate his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his body for a hug. “Deal.”

“Target acquired!”

“Wha–”

You and Eddie both turned towards the shout. You caught a glimpse of a trio of heavily armed people standing in the middle of the intersection before the one on the left rose their arms, silver gauntlets on their wrists glowing a little before _noise_ , a shrieking, screaming, wall of _sound_ hit you.

You dropped with a cry, hands clamping over your ears. The sound, horrible, high pitched, making your bones vibrate uncomfortably as it cut through your skull. People all around you clutched at their heads, some falling, some crawling for safety - though there was none to be found.

All the windows around shattered. Cars, buildings, store fronts, all exploded, sending glass flying everywhere, pelting everyone on the street and sidewalks with shrapnel.

Eddie _howled_ in pain next to you, dropping to the ground, writhing. Blackness boiled around him as Venom uncoiled, the symbiote convulsing as the high pitched sound cut through it. Venom’s own scream, feral, raw, rose in counterpoint to Eddie’s and you could only watch, tears streaming down your face, as the ones you cared about thrashed in agony on the pavement.

The silence that followed that sonic barrage was complete and still, and you spent a moment trying to remember how to move, muscles still vibrating from the blast. Finally, you managed to shakily crawl over to Eddie, who was breathing shallowly, Venom a weakly twitching puddle beneath him.

“E-Eddie?” You saw the three start to approach out of the corner of your eye and shook your boyfriend, voice sounding distant and tinny to your no doubt damaged hearing. “Eddie!”

All around, people were scattering, running, a group nearly stampeding over you as they bolted from the trio that were slowly walking down the street, bits of broken glass crunching under their boots as they approached.

Hands shaking, you stumbled to your feet, one shoe missing. You kicked off the other pump, glass easily cutting through your pantyhose covered feet as you grabbed Eddie under the shoulders and started dragging him under an parked SUV and out of sight

The panicking group of people around you helped to hide your motions, enough that the attackers paused when they reached the spot where Eddie had fallen. You were shaking, laying flat on the dirty street under the SUV, Eddie on his back next to you, half-conscious.

“Can’t have gotten far,” one of the attackers growled, and you watched armored boots move around the side of the SUV you were hiding under. “Alien should be out of commission from that blast.”

“Thought you said it’d take him out with one blast! Where’d he go?”

“Look, I don’t know _everything_ okay? Just what was in the portfolio. Weakness to sound and fire, that’s all it said.”

“Shouldn’t have taken this job, Mark. It stinks.”

A new voice growled out: “Fuck that. For five million dollars I’d take out my own grandmother.”

“That’s cuz you’re batshit insane, Jonah.”

You chewed on your lip, eyeing Eddie where he lay beside you as the obsidian puddle that was Venom slowly reformed around him. He moaned, eyelids fluttering, and you slapped a hand over his mouth to silence him, attention going back to watching the three sets of boots mill around as they started searching the street.

It wouldn’t be long before they spotted you. You frowned, your free hand curling into a fist, hating the lack of options.

Eddie suddenly jerked awake next to you, and you shifted your hand from his mouth to his chest, pushing him back down.

“Shh,” you hissed, meeting his gaze before glancing to the nearest set of armored boots.

He tensed, but stayed silent, tilting his head back to watch as the man stomped past the SUV, moving to investigate an alley. “When we say ‘run’,” Eddie rumbled into your ear, his voice a low growl of mixed human and alien. “Run.”

You nodded, mutely. Watched as blackness rose to cover him, Venom’s face forming close to yours, pale, opal sheened, eyes and a mouth with too many fangs settling into place.

“READY MORSEL?”

“Yeah.”

“GO.”

You scrambled out from under the SUV at the same time that Venom lifted it off it’s wheels, bolting for the shelter of a parked bus on the other side of the street. There was an unearthly roar of anger, followed by yells and screams from ‘Mark’ and ‘Jonah’, and a crunch of a car being thrown.

Glass sunk into the soles of your feet as you jumped and slid across the hood of a car in the middle of the street, the vehicle abandoned by it’s owners. You landed on the opposite side, hunkering down. Blew a loose strand of your hair out of your eyes as you peeked over the hood, watching as Venom closed a taloned hand around one of the attacker’s throats and lifted him off his feet.

A roar of pain left him seconds later as a flash grenade detonated at his feet, bits of the symbiote flaring away a little before reforming. Venom turned, and threw the man in his grasp at the one who had thrown the grenade, the two males crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Fire filled the street as the third attacker ran into the thick of things, and you winced at Venom’s shriek as flames licked at his body, bits of his symbiote form flaking off, like ashes. He leapt out range, used a tendril to rip a newspaper box off it’s moorings, then threw it.

When things started to get too close for comfort, you sucked in a breath and darted away from the car, ignoring the sharp pains cutting into your feet as you ran for the safety of an alleyway a block away.

Took cover behind a dumpster, crouching there, closing your eyes when another blast of sound made the fillings in your teeth vibrate.

You hoped Venom could handle himself. Technically, you _could_ have done something, but fear of reprisal held you back. You didn’t think the repercussions would come from Eddie or Venom. No, you were worried about bigger things - like your life.

When you’d turned thirteen, you’d developed the ability to move things with a thought. Your parents had been horrified. Had instilled in you the knowledge that if you ever let anyone know what you could do, that you’d be taken away. That you couldn’t under _any_ circumstances, use your powers, no matter what. So you’d kept what you could do a secret throughout high school, and then college, and then your adult life.

Now, with the Mutant Registration Act in full swing, you feared for your _life_. You knew what humans did to mutants: had seen far too many beatings and anti-mutant protests and hatred. The ‘Friends of Humanity’ patrolled the streets like a wave of physical hatred.

Fear kept you from trusting anyone. Fear kept you restrained.

So, you huddled, hiding, as the sounds of the battle got louder. People screamed and sobbed as Venom and the Trio fought, stragglers darting around, some stupidly taking photos with their phones while others right ran for their lives.

With every scream of the sonics, with every whoosh of fire and loud explosion of grenades, with every roar and scream of pain from Venom, you jerked as if physically hit. Guilt knawed at you, and you clenched your eyes shut, the heels of your hands pressing into your temple.

Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the ground, sending you to your knees in the grime. Bits of buildings, bricks and mortar, clattered to around you, and you curled over, hands rising to protect your head as another series of booms and bangs rattled everything. It sounded like the end of the world, like a nuclear bomb going off.

People screamed again, cars lifting off their tires, some flipping onto their sides. More sound shook the air, drowning out your own shriek of fear as everything went to hell around you. The ground rose, then slammed back down, and you cried out again as you landed hard on your chest, the breath whooshing out of you.

Distantly, as silence and stillness finally returned, you heard the sounds of triumphant whooping.

“HAH! Got ‘im! Told you land-mining the street ahead of time was worth it!”

Panting, shaking, you pushed yourself to your hands and knees, palms bloodied from scraping on the concrete. Your pant were torn at the knees, covered in grime, and you stiffly shucked out of your blazer, loosening the top three buttons of your blouse as you tried to level out your panicked breathing.

Numb, ears ringing, you stumbled to your feet, then staggered towards the street, side stepping around bits of debris. The street was decimated. Huge holes lined either side of the road, bits of concrete and asphalt peppered the ground, along with more glass. Some stores looked like they’d imploded, others were missing completely. A building across the way was missing the whole front of it - it had simply caved in. Some cars had been flattened by debris, one was one fire, and a few were blaring their alarms.

Shivering, you braced yourself against a still standing wall, and peered around it. The trio were standing in around a figure on the ground, and your heart sank when you realized that it was Eddie, his left leg broken, his right arm bent at an unnatural angle. Venom was pooled under him, trembling, and you growled when one of the thugs aimed a flamethrower at the leading edge of the symbiote and literally burnt it off with a burst of fire.

Your life, or the life of the man (and symbiote) that you loved?

Your hands curled into fists at your sides, nails cutting into your palms as your knuckles went white.

You didn’t have the luxury of fear anymore.

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* * *

 

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Eddie groaned, pain, sharp and white hot, bombarding him. One leg was definitely fucked up, and one of his arms was just a blur of agony. Things weren’t too good with his head either, he had trouble focusing his eyes, and his thoughts seemed decidedly… slippery.

The place where Venom usually lived in his brain was frighteningly quiet, and he frowned, tasting blood as he licked his lips, voice croaking out. “V-Venom?”

A voice snorted laughter at him. “Sorry, asshole. Your alien buddy is down for the count.”

Another chuckled. “Easiest five mil I ever made.”

He groaned again, trying to sit up, good arm shaking as he tried to heft himself up, only to cry out when the butt of a gun smacked into his forehead. Stars and blackness exploded across his vision, consciousness wavering, and Eddie felt hands grab him, felt new pain as he was dragged down the street. His still working hand slid through a familiar viscous mass, and he curled his fingers into the symbiote, slurring Venom’s name again.

“Wait. What the fuck is that?”

“What the fuck is what?”

Dimly, Eddie felt it. The ground, vibrating, like an earthquake, but more drawn out. As if a train was rumbling by. He rolled his head on his shoulders, blinking through the blood in his eyes, and joined his three attackers in trying to figure out what was going on.

He caught sight of you before they did. Blinked again, trying to focus, as you kept walking towards them, slowly, steadily. Your business outfit was torn, blood, dust, dirt and grime marring your clothes, feet bloodied from walking on bits of glass and debris.

“Who’s that?”

“Who the fuck cares? She’s a witness. Fry her.”

Eddie thrashed, trying to get loose. Howled when the one on the left returned the attempt with a kick to his head. His skull rebounded against some debris, vision going black, and he groaned, curling into himself, good hand rising to cover the bleeding gash he’d just gained.

“Hey there, sweet thing,” the one with the flamethrower leered as he stepped forward. “You look a little _hot!_ ” _  
_

“ _No!_ ” Eddie screamed as fire exploded from the odd gun the thug was holding, washing forward like a tsunami. Saw it engulf you, the flames hot enough to made the paint on nearby cars turn black from the heat and start to peel. He fought, screaming obscenities, lashing out with his good leg and making contact.

The goon with the sonic gauntlets went down with a curse when his knee was kicked in, landing on Eddie with the intention of beating him senseless. Rage took over as Eddie fought back, grappling, beating on the other man with his good fist, until one of the others still standing kicked his broken leg right where it had snapped in half.

His vision went black from pain. Heaving, Eddie curled into himself, receiving a knee to the ribs as the thug he’d kicked gave him a final hit before staggering to his feet again.

He heard a curse of surprise, heard more footsteps. Managed to crack an eye open in time to see the trio start to back away. Frowning, he tilted his head back as far as he could, blinking through his swollen eyes in shock.

You were standing in the center of a circular unburnt patch, the only signs that fire had been involved the chaos around you, burnt cars, smouldering asphalt that was partially melted from the heat.

Eyes narrowed, you stepped forward, ignoring the sizzling stench of your skin burning as you walked across hot concrete. Everything vibrated around you as your powers uncurled from you in waves, making bits of debris rattle on the ground.

Eddie blinked up at you as you reached him, pausing to look down at him with glowing eyes. “B-Babe?” he croaked, shivering when the glow faded a little, as you gave him what you hoped was a reassuring smile before raising your gaze back to the Trio, breathing deep as you stepped in front of Eddie’s crumpled form.

The Trio didn’t bother with any quips or conversation. Merely opened fire, flames and the scream of sonics filling the air.

Eddie grimaced, bracing himself for more pain, eyes widening when you rose a hand to the side, fingers curling a little. A heavily damaged car rose off it’s tires and flew between you and the oncoming attacks. Metal groaned, the frame buckling inwards, as it acted like a barrier, absorbing fire and the sonic barrage. 

You waited for a lull in the attacks before making a shoving motion, sending the car flying forwards. It cartwheeled through the street, sending the Trio diving for cover. You sent an SUV and a pickup truck after it, aiming to crush the opposition outright, eyes narrowing as you reached down, into the ground.

More concrete buckled, ripping free, chunks rising into the air as you took hold of them. Another thought had slivers of glass gathering together into sharpened spikes, your makeshift weapons floating in the air around you, held aloft by your thoughts alone.

Only two of the attackers rose out from the destruction from the vehicles, and Eddie propped himself up on his good arm as you took aim, sending a chunk of concrete after the one with the flamethrower and three spikes after the one with the sonic gauntlets.

Fire was useless against rock. The concrete flew through the wave of flames aimed at it and hit the man right in the chest. He died seconds later when a razor sharp spike of glass sunk into his face.

The other man had thrown himself to the side, rolling out of the way of the spikes you’d sent after him, and Eddie watched as you made a gesture, one of the other chunks of concrete floating nearby shooting forward. It forced the thug to abandon his hiding spot as the heavy chunk flattened the small Mazda he’d been hunkering behind.

He darted across the street, arms raised, more sonics screaming out from those odd gauntlets he wore. You mentally wrenched a nearby car door off it’s hinges, seeing the metal buckle as you used it as a shield. The second the sound stopped, you sent half a dozen spikes at him; five at chest level, one at his feet.

He deflected five, but not the sixth that sunk into his right foot, pinning him to the ground. Finally still long enough for you to focus on him, you mentally reached out and snapped his neck, his head spinning all the way around before he dropped, dead, to the ground.

“That’s quite enough of that.”

Eddie grimaced as he jerked his head to the side, following your startled gaze as the two of you stared at the third goon, and you grit your teeth when the man rose his arms, the pair of sonic gauntlets he wore glinting in the light before he activated them.

Being hit point blank was like having a bomb go off in your head. You screamed, dropping to the ground, your telekinetic hold on the concrete chunks and shards of glass failing as the shriek of sound cut through your brain. Eddie convulsed next to you, the symbiote boiling and undulating in agony.

Panic took over, and you lashed out.

Everything exploded.

The thug died on impact as the blast picked him up and sent him flying across the street to impact with a building wall with bone breaking force. Recurrent waves of power rolled off of you, over and over, concrete buckling, cars being sent flying, buildings cracking on their foundations. Garbage and debris swirled around, forming an impassable barrier.

Eddie groaned, reaching out, fingers touching your arm before curling around your wrist. Everything beyond a ten foot radius around the two of you was falling apart under a constant barrage of unfocused power, the ground cracking and splitting under the stress. “Babe. Babe, s’okay. S’over! _Babe!_ ”

The shout, along with the grip on your wrist, jolted you, eyes snapping open, blinking a few times before you focused on Eddie’s bloodied face.

As soon as your mind calmed, everything settled. Cars slammed to the ground, debris dropping all around you like rain. You gasped, breath hitching in your throat as tears gathered in your eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I didn’t– I lost control–”

“It’s okay,” Eddie rasped, forcing a smile when you crawled over to him and leaned down to press your forehead to his. “You kick some serious ass when you’re pissed.”

A watery laugh left you, and you kissed him, gently. “You look like shit.”

“Feel like shit, too.” A grunt left him as he forced himself to sit up, and you frowned as you helped him, your gaze landing on the mass of black, viscous, symbiote under him. “Ahhh shit. Ribs.”

“Venom– I-Is he?”

“No clue. Can’t feel him.” He reached down into the obsidian puddle under him, frowning as he sank his fingers into the mass. Felt it vibrate a little against his skin, and look up at you with a crooked smile when the symbiote slowly, painfully slowly, sunk into his skin. “Down but not out.”

You let out a sigh of relief. “Good.”

Sirens caught both of your attentions, and you frowned as police, fire trucks and ambulances appeared at the intersection. People appeared from everywhere, sticking their heads out of stores and alleys and doorways before mobbing the response teams.

You looked away and refocused on Eddie, who was pale under the patina of dirt and blood. Sighing, you dropped down to sit next to him, leaning your head against his when he slumped against you. “Don’t think Vee’s going to appreciate hospital food though.”

He managed a tired, weak, huff of laughter. “That’s because it’s not real food.”

A smile tugged at your lips for a moment before fading. “Think I’ll get arrested?”

“Don’t know. Though if anyone connects me with Venom, I might be joining you.”

“Shit.”

“Yup.”

“I’m sorry… for not telling you,” you murmured as the throng of police and EMTs neared the two of you. “I should have. You trusted me, and I was too much of a coward to reciprocate.”

His good hand sought out yours and you shivered when his fingers curled around yours tightly. “S’okay. Promise. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Overruled.”

A tired laugh left you. “You’ve been watching too many court dramas again.”

“Vee’s fault.”

“Of course it is.”

.

.

.

 


	47. Immortalys

Prompt - Eddie/Venom finding out their S/O has a healing factor, after she was severely injured during a mugging, stabbed from behind or something. Venom is devastated for a few seconds thinking they failed, and their lover is dead. only to get a shock when she jolts up and starts wheezing and coughing up blood; begging them to pull the knife out venom reluctantly does so, and watches in awe as the injury heals.

 

*crawls out of Writer’s Block hell* I’m scrolling through Prompt suggestions trying to get the muse back. Kinda abandoned doing things in order for the moment, sorry. And sorry for the long period of inactivity. RL is sucking all my will to write at the moment :(

EDIT: Changed the title from 'My Immortal' to 'Immortalys'. I hate having to name things, >.<

EDIT: Someone told me that the Reader asking V to pull the knife out of her back is a lot like a scene in Resident Evil 6! I've never played the games, just seen the movies. So... yeah. I didn't plagiarize it, promise. It's just a coincidence.

* * *

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It had been a wonderful afternoon of playing hooky from work. You and Eddie had caught a matinee, then gone to lunch at his favorite buffet restaurant - you were sure they were low-key scared of him at this point. He and Venom ate _a lot_. Still, despite the horrified looks at Eddie’s fifth helping, the two of you had enjoyed your meal.

The entire day had been a godsend of calmness. Up until karma, fate, or just some little asshole at the Universe’s dealings decided to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing.

“Whoa guy, you don’t wanna do this,” Eddie frowned as the mugger tightened his grip on you, the sizeable knife at your throat digging in a little.

The man’s free hand was painfully squeezing your left arm as he pulled you backwards into the alley. Eddie followed, a white sheen flitting across his eyes, and your dry swallow had your skin grating against the blade at your jugular.

“Wallet and phone!” The man’s fetid breath rolled past your face as he growled out his demands, and you clenched your jaw, not fear, but _anger_ rising in you as Eddie obediently dug out his wallet and smartphone, handing both of them over to the mugger, who chuckled as he shoved both items into the jacket he was wearing. “You too, toots.”

You grimaced at the ‘toots’ remark, but reached into your small purse to retrieve the items, slapping them into the grasping hand to your left. The knife nudged you a little, maybe because of the force you’d used, and you saw Eddie’s gaze darken angrily.

The blade left your throat, and you finally let yourself breathe, before a dirty hand curled around your neck, holding you tight. The mugger at your back leaned into you, cheek brushing yours, and you wrinkled your nose at the smell that clung to his skin. “Sorry, toots, this ain’t personal. But, your boytoy there, he’s one of those that’ll try to be the hero once I let you go. Gotta distract him, got me?”

You opened your mouth to voice your confusion before white hot pain exploded in your back. Something - your brain said ‘knife’ - slipped in between your shoulder blades, slicing, cutting, stealing your breath from you in a horrible gasp. Blood flecked your lips as you met Eddie’s horrified gaze, and you stumbled forward when the mugger shoved at you, sending you staggering into Eddie’s open arms as you fell.

Heat and cold warred in your body as you struggled for breath. Something in your chest didn’t feel right, you couldn’t get in enough air. Eddie cradled you in his arms as he dropped to his knees, grief and anger warring in his eyes before blackness swarmed around him, Venom making an appearance.

Obsidian tendrils lashed out. You heard more than saw them gain purchase on the mugger, heard the wet snap of breaking bone and tearing flesh.

Something popped in your chest and suddenly blood filled your mouth, obstructing your airway. You gurgled, coughing, every spasm making fresh pain lance through you. You felt cold, felt sticky, hot, blood - such a contrast - wetting the back of your shirt and dripping to the ground below you.

Venom’s grip on you tightened, painfully so, tendrils curling around you to secure you to him as he leapt up the side of the building, more tendrils and his right hand digging into the brick as he scaled upwards. “MORSEL! FIGHT! THERE’S A HOSPITAL–”

You swallowed blood and shook your head, raising a bloodied hand to touch his face. “T-t-too late.”

“ _NO!_ ”

Everything was fading. The sounds of the City, cars, people, pigeons, everything was just vanishing. All you could hear was your labouring heart and the gurgling breaths you were taking. Your vision blurred at the edges, even as you struggled to focus on Venom as he madly, desperately, leapt across rooftops, uncaring that he’d be seen in the daylight. “…s-stop.”

A pained, wounded, noise left him as he jerked to a halt on a rooftop, pale eyes fixated on you as a large taloned hand rose to cup the side of your face, his voice a low, mournful whisper. “MORSEL–”

“S’okay,” you rasped, blood trickling from the corner of your mouth, even as your vision faded, the feeling of your heart literally missing a beat thudding in your chest, like the final nail in your coffin. Weakly, you rose a shaking hand to cover his, unable to see, but hearing the low, alien, keen that left him. “…s’okay… love you… s’okay…”

“NO. NO NO NO! EDDIE! EDDIE, WHAT DO WE DO?! NIBBLE, MORSEL, _PLEASE—_ ” _  
_

His begging voice faded from your ears as your heart stopped, your hand falling from his.

For one long, horrible, moment, you ceased to be. That long second stretched out, an eternity of darkness and cold and emptiness.

Before it all _slammed_ back.

Your body convulsed as life was forced back into it, your eyes going wide as you gasped for air. Sound snapped back into focus, the sky too bright to your eyes that had been sightless just moments before.

Venom’s grip on you loosened in shock, and you uncoordinatedly shoved yourself out of his arms, twisting to land on your hands and knees on the roof, landing with a grunt. He stood there, dumbly, eyes as wide as you’d ever seen, as you twisted your right arm back, fingers seeking the knife that was still in your back.

“…get it out…” you wheezed, your healing body struggling to repair the damage that the still present blade was creating. Your lung couldn’t reinflate with the intrusion in it, and you fought for breath, even as your heart beat rapidly, trying to send enough nutrients to mending flesh. “Venom…. take it the fuck out, _please!_ ”

Your pained cry finally jolted him out of his shock, his form dropping to one knee next to you as he gripped the knife by it’s handle. You felt the blade grate against rib and slice through newly healed flesh as he pulled it out, and finally, _finally_ , you managed to take in a deep breath, coughing as your collapsed lung reinflated.

Dimly, you were aware of Venom staring at the skin of your back in a stunned awe as the skin knit itself back together. You waited until the unnerving sensation of your insides rebuilding and regrowing settled before sighing and slowly, stiffly, pushing yourself up until you were on your knees.

“So…” you started dumbly, avoiding Venom’s stunned gaze as you used the collar of your shirt to wipe blood from your mouth. “Questions? Comments? Yelling?”

None of those options applied. Instead, Venom grabbed you and hauled you into a crushing hug, arms tight around you as he buried his face into your hair.

You returned the embrace as best you could, your back protesting as he held you tighter in response. “Okay, o-okay, take it easy, I’m still healing…”

His grip on you loosened a little, taloned hands coming to rest on your shoulders as he leaned back to meet your gaze. “HOW?”

A grimace flit across your features. “I’m a mutant. I, um…. My body heals any damage it gets. If I get killed, I just… kinda, _reset_ , like some goddamn computer. Everything goes away, and I think, maybe, I really do die - for a moment anyway -  and then… bam! I’m back and everything’s healing.”

“MORSEL…” One large hand rose to cup the side of your face as Venom leaned in, resting his forehead against yours. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US?”

“Because I’m a _mutant._ You know the rap mutants get. And… I’m… I don’t get sick, I heal from everything… and I don’t _age_ the same way.”

He pulled back, curious. “AND THAT SHOULD BOTHER US, WHY?”

“Because I’m older than I said I was,” you admitted haltingly, glancing away. “I’ve been alive for a long time. And… I told myself that I’d never get involved with anyone again - it hurts too much to outlive them - but Eddie… and _you_ … I couldn’t help it. I fell in love with you two so fast that it still scares me. And maybe you’d be okay with me being a mutant, but–”

Venom tilted his head, and you knew, _knew_ , that Eddie was as hyper-focused on you as Venom was. “BUT?”

Fuck it. “I’m a hundred and sixty three years old.”

He blinked. Actually blinked.

You winced in the ensuing silence, certain that you’d just lost both of them, only to jerk your head up to stare at Venom in shock when he rumbled a laugh.

“EDDIE SAYS YOU’RE ‘ROBBING THE CRADLE’.” Venom told you with a smirk, and you felt your face heat with a blush. “ALSO, THAT HE HAS NO PROBLEM DATING AN ‘OLDER WOMAN’. AS FOR US, NIBBLE… WE’RE OLDER THAN THIS CITY BY A THOUSAND YEARS. A HUNDRED AND SIXTY IS YOUNG.”

Goddamn aliens. You hadn’t thought about that. “So… you’re not going to leave?”

Another laugh left him as he pulled you into another hug, and if you were a little weepy, he wisely didn’t comment. “YOU’RE STILL STUCK WITH US, LITTLE ONE. THOUGH, EDDIE HAS ENDLESS QUESTIONS.”

“Can I answer them back home? I feel kinda gross.”

“THE NEST IT IS.”

“…I love you.”

“AND WE LOVE YOU, MORSEL. BUT, PLEASE, DON’T _EVER_ SCARE US LIKE THAT AGAIN.”

“I can’t _die_ , Venom. I’ll always heal.”

His grip on you tightened, tendrils lashing out to curl around you as he rose to his feet, cradling you in his arms. “DOESN’T MEAN WE ENJOY _SEEING_ IT.”

You reached up to wind your arms around his neck, pecking him on the cheek. You would have kissed him, but you still tasted blood on your tongue, and doubted he’d enjoy the sharp reminder of you choking on your own blood. “Okay.”

.

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	48. Do We Have a Plan B? (Sequel to It’s Going Sideways)

Prompt: Please do a continuation of this! (It’s Going Sideways)

Part 3 of ‘[Moral Compass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37239836)’ and ‘[It’s Going Sideways](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/38025305)’

And I’ve written this so there’s gonna be Part 4! (Honestly, what the hell am I doing to myself, haha)

This ‘series’ was started BEFORE the movie came out. All I had to go on were the trailers, so it’s movie-based, but not movie compatible. If that makes sense. ONWARDS!

* * *

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You frowned as you stared down at the phone in your hands, Venom’s low growling from the doorway the only sound in the room.

Obviously Drake suspected that you knew were the symbiote was, which, _duh_ , doorway. Drake was smart, very smart. Probably had a contingent of security on their way in the guise of ‘keeping you safe’, not that you trusted Drake. Not one damned bit.

Thoughts whirling, you spun around. “We leave in five minutes,” you announced, seeing Venom’s opalescent eyes widen a little at the order in your voice before you closed your bedroom door in his face.

It took only two minutes for you to change into something more appropriate than your PJs. Honestly, you were still hopping into your jeans when you exited the room, rushing over to the hallway closet and pulling out the ‘bug out’ bag that you’d put together after Drake had ‘insisted’ that he post security to ‘protect you’.

It was Eddie that was standing awkwardly in the kitchen, eyes taking in your frazzled form as you tugged your sneakers on, then grabbed a black blazer off a hook, pulling it on over your tee shirt.

“You’re prepared,” he commented, blinking when you shoved the bag into his arms.

“I’ve been dealing with aliens and a megalomaniac. Of _course_ I’m prepared,” you shot back as you went to rifle through your purse, pulling out your wallet. It got shoved into the backpack, before you pulled your phone out of your jeans and, mournfully, dropped it onto the floor and smashed your foot down onto it. You’d backed up all your photos and contacts, of course, but still, it hurt to do it.

Couldn’t take the chance that you could be tracked through it though. “Okay, let’s go.”

“What’s the plan?” Eddie frowned as he followed you out the door and over to the stairwell.

“I have nothing beyond ‘get the fuck out of dodge before Drake shows up’. Was thinking of heading to the University. Lots of people, lots of _witnesses._ But…”

“But there’s lots of innocent victims if Drake’s goons go gun happy. Yeah.” Eddie was silent for a moment as the two of you hurried down the steps. “The Park? It’s bigger. There’s people, yeah, but lots of hiding places too.”

“Might work.” You hit the ground floor’s stairwell door in a rush, then skid to a stop, grunting when Eddie ran into you from behind. “Shit.”

He was taller by a few inches, which allowed him to see over the top of your head and spot the black SUV that pulled up in front of the building. “Back door?”

“Yup,” was all you said as you grabbed his wrist and headed for the side entrance. “Think you can kick the door open? The Super keeps it locked.”

You’d barely gotten the last syllable out before blackness in the form of three stalks of symbiote shot out from Eddie’s torso, hitting the nearby door with enough force that the metal dented, the door shooting off it’s hinges and clattering against the opposite building’s wall.

Eddie smirked at you when you turned to look at him. “Ladies first.”

Rolling your eyes, you poked your head out into the alley to make sure it was clear, then led the way out, heading for the opposite end, _away_ from the ominous SUV. “We need a car.”

“Told you we should have taken the bike,” Eddie grumbled to himself, and you huffed as the two of you stepped out onto the sidewalk proper. It was past the time where people were rushing to work, so it was sparsely occupied, only a few people heading to where ever they were going.

Two steps ahead, you idled over to a parked car and tried the driver’s door, frowning when you found it locked. The next two cars were the same, and Eddie gave you a look that plainly said he knew you were thinking of stealing a ride and was waffling over whether to be mad about it or not.

That look vanished when a black SUV turned the corner.

Your lucky number was ‘six’ apparently, and you grinned as you slid into the driver’s seat. Eddie frowned, but didn’t comment, merely circled the car and got into the passenger seat, his gazed locked on the SUV that was slowly approaching from behind. His expression wavered a bit when you ducked low and started to hotwire the little Sedan.

“Seriously?”

You glanced up at him. “What? I was a teenager once. Snuck out of the house a lot. Needed a ride.” You twisted some wires together, smirking when the engine rumbled to life. “Seriously, Eddie, you’re hosting an alien and we’re being hunted by wackos. This _cannot_ the the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen.”

His lips quirked a little. “I just didn’t take you for…”

“The grand theft auto type?” You belted yourself in, then tried to drive ‘nonchalantly’, calmly pulling out of the parking spot and heading down the street.

The SUV behind you didn’t speed up, didn’t do anything but continue it’s slow drive down the street, the occupants clearly interested in the people walking on the sidewalk.

You thought, that, maybe, you and Eddie were in the clear as you neared an intersection.

You were wrong.

Something bashed into the back of the sedan, blowing out the rear window, pulling a startled shriek from you as glass imploded into the car. Eddie snarled something as Venom’s tendrils shot out of him, blackness like a living wall expanding to block the bullets that followed.

You floored it. Cleared the intersection going fifty and climbing, barely avoiding a truck. Saw something odd flitter in the side-view mirror, eyes narrowing when your brain finally put the image to a word. “Drones! They have drones!”

“Go, go, go!”

“No shit!” You swerved around a slow Mazda, clipping the bumper of a parked car as you did so. Got the little sedan up to sixty before you were forced to slow down at another intersection to avoid ploughing into a slow moving bus.

Eddie meanwhile, had one foot braced on the dashboard, left hand braced against the roof, and his right hand closed tight on the ‘oh shit’ bar of the door. His head swiveled, trying to keep track of the drones that whizzed overhead.

When he suddenly shouted “Left!”, left you went, scraping paint with a Nissan as a drone dive-bombed itself to death against the pavement where you had been seconds before. Debris and bits of asphalt peppered the car, sounding like rain against the windshield, and you reflexively ducked a little. “They explode?! What the fuck!”

“We need to get out of the city!” Eddie shouted over your semi-hysterical shriek. “Head right! If we can get to the Bridge we can–”

The rest of his sentence was drowned out by the blare of a delivery truck as it nearly t-boned the car. You shrieked a little, jerked on the steering wheel, and screeched across two lanes of traffic into the on-coming lane. Another drone exploded against the roof of the car, and you got the unwelcome view of an oncoming pickup truck’s terrified driver before you swerved back into the proper lane.

“So much for subtle, we might as well be blaring Ride of the fucking Valkyries,” you snarled as the roar of a black SUV preceded the lurch of something ramming into the rear bumper of the car.

“Just keep driving!” Eddie yelled as he rolled down the passenger window and started to climb out of it, blackness beginning to cover him.

You drove with one hand and reached out to grab his jacket with the other, cursing when the bit of material _just_ escaped your fingers. “Get back in the fucking car you idiot!”

“JUST DRIVE, MORSEL!”

“I’m with idiots, I’m escaping with idiots,” left you in a mutter as the roof dented inwards a little from Venom’s bulk crouching atop it. Some black tendrils curled over the frames of the open windows, which was probably for the better, because the maneuver you had to do to dodge another SUV that came head-on at you would have knocked Venom off the car had he not been anchored to it.

There was a blockade of cops at the next intersection. Obviously someone had called the insanity in. You grit your teeth at the sight, then screamed ‘Hold on!’ out the driver’s side window, cranked the parking break, and did a drift into an alleyway.

The sedan’s right side scraped brick as you ploughed through garbage and  motored over someone’s bicycle. Debris and a bike wheel preceded your emergence onto the other street, people screaming as you did another sideways side onto the pavement.

Really, for a beige sedan, the little car handled rather well. Though the people that were eyeing you as you wove your way through traffic obviously thought otherwise.

Might be because it took corners like the wheels were on sideways. Might have been Venom atop the roof like a demented ornament, using a manhole cover he’d snatched off the ground like a shield to stop exploding, kamikaze, drones. Either way, people were looking at you as if you were the anti-christ come to town.

You’d started to think that you might get away. Right up until yet another black SUV slammed into the right rear panel of the car in a pit move that sent the sedan spinning.

Naturally, you screamed. Heard Venom’s roar and felt the bounce of him leaping off the car’s roof before the sedan came to a stop by side checking a parked car. You sat there, hyperventilating, hands clenched so tight on the wheel that your knuckles were white, for a long moment.

And then the air bag deployed and smacked you in the face hard enough that you saw stars.

Dimly, over the pounding of your heart in your ears and the tirade of curses in your brain, you heard the sounds of gunfire and shouting, followed by a roar and some high pitched screaming that had no business coming out of a male throat.

You fought with the airbag until it finally deflated, then looked out the rear-view mirror, eyes widening when you saw Venom grab yet another menacing black SUV by it’s front bumper and upend it, leaving it to crash onto it’s roof as he threw himself at a man dressed in black with a ‘Life Foundation’ logo on his vest that was unloading a shotgun into him.

Gritting your teeth, you revved the engine, relief welling up in you. The sedan wasn’t new enough that the engine and ignition cut out when an air bag deployed.

You threw the little car into reverse, slamming the rear bumper into the upside down SUV and sending it spinning a little. Then leaned over and screamed out the open passenger window. “ _Venom!_ Get in the _fucking_ car!”

He turned to glare at you at the same time that two more SUVs and three police cars that were chasing them careened around the intersection behind you. He hesitated - and you hoped that Eddie was yelling at him too - before ripping off the sedan’s back door and jamming himself into the backseat.

You were now driving something that looked like it had gone three rounds in a demolition derby. Which, added to the burnt rubber that you left behind when you threw the car into drive, probably painted quite a picture for the looky-loos.

All five pursuing cars hit the upside-down SUV out of their way as they took chase, the sounds of loud engines and the blare of police sirens echoing in the cab of the sedan as you took another corner at twice the recommended speed, careening dangerously close to a parked canteen truck.

And finally, up ahead, you spotted a chance.

“Venom!”

“WHAT?”

“Up ahead, there’s some empty scaffolding on the side of the building. If I swerve close, think you can grab it and send it falling into the street behind us?”

There came a pleased rumble as the large form shifted in the backseat and leaned out of the open space where the car door used to be. “WE LIKE HOW YOU THINK, MORSEL!”

A grin that was a bit more of a snarl settled onto your face as you swerved again, bypassing a slower car and moving as close as you could to the blocked off sidewalk and the mess of scaffolding on the side of a building. Prayed to any Gods that were listening that no bystanders would get hurt as Venom leaned out some more, three thick tendrils lashing out to grab onto the supports and ripping them free.

The impact of all that metal and wood hitting the street rumbled up through the tires of the car, and you watched via the rear-view mirror as the SUVs and the cops tried to screech to a stop before ploughing into the mess blocking the road and, inevitably, each other.

Another drone exploded against the roof of the car as you sped away, a bit of sunlight now appearing from the dented and burnt roof of the car.

“He’ll never stop,” you lamented as you sped through the city. “Drake will never stop.”

“HE WILL WHEN WE RIP HIS BEATING HEART OUT OF HIS CHEST,” Venom snarled from the backseat.

And then, you had a stupid, so, _incredibly_ , stupid, idea.

“What if we take the fight to him?”

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	49. A Fire In The Night

Prompt - I really loved you're super strength reader! I was wondering if maybe you could do one that controls fire and has hidden it from Eddie especially after finding out fire is harmful to Venom.

* * *

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.

Venom had told you to run the moment he’d sensed danger.

Naturally, you’d ignored him.

 _Why_ he’d decided that starting a fight in a Meth Lab of all places, was a good idea, you didn’t know. You’d hoped that Eddie would have warned Venom that everything in there was flammable and prone to exploding.

You loved them. You did. But sometimes, they were two parts of a whole idiot.

Now, you were standing outside of a building that was on fire, red flashing lights from the firetrucks and crews working frantically to stop the blaze rushing around you, wondering if Venom was even alive anymore.

Fire was one of the symbiote’s main weaknesses. It could _kill_ Venom, easily. 

You’d already run around the perimeter, hoping to spot a familiar dark form escaping via a window or bit of wall, but no, nothing. There’d been nothing. No sign, not even a glimpse of Eddie trying to ‘casually’ walk away from the newest disaster he and Venom had caused.

You knew in your guts, _knew_ : they were still in there.

“Ma’am! You need to get back!” Some nondescript police officer grabbed your arm and started to pull you away from your vigil, and you stiffened, refusing to move.

There was a choice in front of you. 

Do nothing, and risk losing everything. Or do something, and risk losing everything.

Really, your choices sucked. 

Finally, your eyes narrowed, hands curling into fists.

Moving faster than the cop anticipated, you twisted and lashed out, catching him in the nose with your left elbow. He let go with a yowl, and you dashed forward, dodging a fireman’s attempt to grab you before you took the steps two at a time and threw yourself into the burning building.

Fire licked at your clothing, burning patches in your jeans before you frowned and gestured, the flames receding from you, giving you a path. Heat that would have killed a normal human felt like a warm summer breeze, wafting your hair off your shoulders as you walked deeper into the building.

Flame and heat weren’t your enemy, not since you’d turned twelve and come into your mutant powers. Smoke, however, _that_ effected you just like anyone else, and you felt your lungs spasm as you rose a hand to cover your mouth and nose.

Still, even though the smoke made your eyes water, you pushed deeper, past bits of flaming chemistry equipment, through a charred and burning lab. 

Flames were pouring up from a basement door, roaring and crackling, and you hoped that no one had been down there, because you knew fire, and you knew that nothing could have survived the inferno below.

Instead, you staggered to a small staircase and headed up, the burning wood creaking under your feet as you raced up the stairs. 

“ _Venom!_ Goddammit, answer me!” left you in between body wracking coughs. It was hard to get any volume over the roar of the fire and the breaking apart of the building.

You kept low, checking every apartment, fearing what you’d find as you sent the flames away, quelling them with a carefully practiced thought. It was getting harder and harder to do so, however. The fire was out of control, eating away at every flammable bit of ‘food’, sucking the oxygen out of the air to live. Soon, even you’d have to abandon the search - you might have been fireproof, but you still needed to _breathe._

Coughing, you kicked in another door to a room above the worst of the fire, grimacing when a cloud of ash, soot and smoke hit you in the face as it rushed out. “ _Venom! Answer me!_ ”

“….morsel?”

The voice was soft, weak, but that rumble. You’d know it anywhere.

You waved the smoke aside and blindly moved into the apartment. The ceiling was on fire, bluish yellow flames licking across the peeling paint. Half the floor was missing, gone, leaving a terrifying view down, all the way down, into the basement, where the second heart of the inferno raged.

Darkness moved in a corner that had nothing to do with the smoke. “MORSEL! W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”

You dropped onto your knees by Venom’s side, where he was backed into a corner as far away from the flames as he could. The room was windowless, but _why_ he hadn’t merely bashed through the wall - oh. There was a gas stove against the wall, which meant a gas line in the floor or wall. Breaking it would have caused one hell of an explosion. Shit.

“I’m getting you out of here!” you shouted, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him to his feet. When he hissed and recoiled, pale eyes fixated on the encroaching flames, you drew his attention to you by placed a soot covered hand to his cheek. “I need you to trust me! Look! _Look!_ ” 

You turned, rising to your feet, and stuck a hand into the nearest bit of fire. Heard his howl of fear and horror as he lunged to his feet to yank you into his little corner of safety, his talons digging into your arms at how strongly he was holding you.

Coughing again, lungs feeling like they were full of ash and white-hot pain, you waved your perfectly, unburnt, hand in front of his eyes. Those white opalescent patches widened as he grabbed your hand in one of his, staring at your unblemished skin. 

With your free hand, you made a pushing motion towards the rest of the fire in the apartment, hearing his noise of surprise as the flames retreated, only the fire from the floors below still roaring. 

“ _Trust me_ ,” you shouted to him, meeting his gaze imploringly. “I’m gonna get you out of here, but you have to _trust me!_ ”

Finally, he nodded, and you rose to your feet again. “Let Eddie take over. It’ll be safer for you that way. You can hide in him!”

“EDDIE WON’T BE ABLE TO BREATHE!”

“He’ll make it out, I _promise!_ ”

There was a horribly long moment before Venom nodded again, and the blackness that was the symbiote retreated into it’s host, baring a shell-shocked Eddie to the ravages of the fire. 

He instantly started coughing. “Babe?!”

“Just c’mon!” You grabbed his nearest arm and yanked him after you as you retraced your path. It was getting so hard to breathe. Tears were streaming down your face, your lungs heaving in an attempt to get enough oxygen into your body, every cough made something copper-sweet coat the back of your throat.

You managed to drag Eddie _to_ the stairs without any problem. The stairs, however, were a problem all of their own.

“Fuck,” left you at the tail end of a body wracking cough when you saw that the railing and half the steps were gone, cracked off and ash. Thinking quickly, you slapped a hand against the wall, mentally pushing the flames away from the plaster and wood. “Hug the wall!”

You led the way, back pressed flush to the soot and ash covered wall. Could feel the heat of the fire _inside_ it, and hoped that it would stay contained long enough that you’d be able to get Eddie down to the main floor.

The stairs cracked and creaked under your weight, and you felt the timber start to give way on the final five steps. Frantically grabbed Eddie and shoved, sending him tumbling down the last bit as your left leg punched through the wood, the surrounding stairs crumbling under you and leaving you to fall through.

Landing in a heap under the stairs hurt. A ragged piece of the wood you’d fallen through had cut into your leg and now you were bleeding. You couldn’t see Eddie through the flames and smoke, couldn’t hear over the roar. 

Adrenaline got you to your feet, fierce determination driving you onwards. 

Jaw clenched, you closed your eyes and _pulled_. Reached out for the fire, embraced it, called it close. Felt the heat of the flames dance across your skin, setting some of your clothes alight, but you couldn’t afford the distraction. Not when you were reaching out to control such a massive blaze.

It fought you like a living thing caught in a snare. Ripped and twined and twisted in your hold, roaring, the building shaking at the flames struggled to eat and breathe and take hold.

But you were a stubborn, stubborn, woman. You’d been taught how to use your powers by the best, and this, _this_ , was _not_ going to be the time where you failed.

Flames swirled, pulled inexorably towards you as you mentally shaped the fire into a ball, forcing it smaller, and smaller. From a sphere six feet in diameter to something the size of a basketball. You held the fury of a five alarm fire in your hands, cupped in your palms, the fire licking at your fingertips as it struggled to break free again.

You struggled with it, until, finally, you were able to press your palms flat against each other, snuffing the flames with a burst of tight, single-minded, control that left you dizzy.

There came the sound of a series of wracking coughs from behind you as smoke wafted in to take place of the flames. “H-How the _fuck_ a-are you doing that?!”

You sent an incredulous look Eddie’s way and ignored him in lieu of hobbling over to him, grabbing his arm, and dragging him out the cracked and blackened front entrance.

The two of you walked out into a shower of water, and you sighed, tilting your head back, relishing the feel of coolness against your overheated skin. 

Firefighter’s instantly swarmed you, and you got a glimpse of Eddie’s stunned expression as he stared at you before you were hustled over to a nearby ambulance. 

Hands grabbed you, tugging at your burnt clothes, looking for burns. A mask was placed onto your face, and you greedily gulped down breaths of rich oxygen. A cold stethoscope was pressed to your chest, a penlight used as an EMT examined your throat, the paramedics murmuring shock that you weren’t burnt, merely suffering from smoke inhalation.

Your left leg with the gash was quickly cleaned and bandaged, the paramedic working on you mentioning that it was a miracle that you weren’t dead. 

It took you almost twenty minutes to convince them that you were alright, and that _no_ , under no circumstances were they bringing you to the hospital. You’d be easily found that way, and no doubt police would be wanting to question you about your ‘heroic’ dive into, and out of, an inferno.

The EMT’s _finally_ allowed you to leave once you’d promised to check into a hospital should your breathing worsen or your leg get infected. You’d sooner lick a subway rat, but they didn’t know that.

You were tired, wet, soot-covered mess when you stumbled away from the ambulance half an hour later, freezing mid step when you spotted Eddie waiting for you next to a firetruck.

This is what you’d been afraid of. Venom was terrified of fire, _you_ could create and control fire. What if…

“Hey.”

Eddie’s voice, rough from smoke, drew your gaze, and you forced a weak smile. He was covered in grime and soot, his shirt wet and filthy, hair mussed and slightly singed. You probably looked just the same - minus the singed bit.

“Hey,” you croaked back.

He sighed and, in a move that surprised you, wrapped you up in a hug, and you sagged into him as he held you tight, your own arms returning the embrace. “We owe you.”

“No, you don’t,” you rasped, clearing your throat a little afterwards.

“Yeah we do. We were trapped in there, and Vee was freaking out and then you just appeared out of the smoke like some guardian angel and– Why didn’t you tell us you could control fire?”

You lowered your head, unable to meet his gaze. “I didn’t…. I didn’t want Venom to be afraid of me.”

“What? Hey…” Eddie gently tipped your head up, and you blinked back tears as you stared up into his steel blue eyes. “No. Babe–”

“I’m a mutant who can create and control fire. Venom freaked out over a candle last month! I– I didn’t want him to look at me like that. Like I was his worst nightmare.”

He shook his head and pulled you back into a hug, and you sniffled, nuzzling your face into his soaked, sooty, shirt, smelling only fire and ash. “Shh. He doesn’t think you’re his worst nightmare. Look, let’s get out here, first off, okay? My place is closer. We can get clean so we don’t look like we rolled in a fireplace.”

“…okay”

* * *

The two of you managed to get to his apartment without garnering too many odd looks. You imagined that you both looked like half-drowned rats, all wet and filthy.

At the apartment, Eddie was kind enough to let you take over the bathroom first, promising to have found some clothes for you to borrow by the end of your shower.

It felt nice, even with the gash in your leg that you’d unwrapped, to just stand under the spray of water, letting it wash the grime from your skin and hair and soothe your frayed nerves.

Still, you didn’t take long. Used Eddie’s shampoo and body wash to scrub soot and dirt off of yourself, the water swirling down the drain turning black from the ash being evicted from your skin and hair.

Ten minutes later, you exited the bathroom wrapped up in the biggest towel you could find, fidgeting a little as you stood in the hallway. “Um… Eddie?”

“Yeah, Babe? Oh.” He stood there, staring at you, long enough that you arched an eyebrow at him. “…sorry. Sorry! Here! Um, you can use my room to get changed. I’ve got a clean tee and a new pair of boxer shorts, fresh out of the box.”

“Thanks,” you murmured, feeling your face heat up as you accepted the items and beat a hasty retreat to his bedroom, closing the door behind you.

The tee shirt of the Rolling Stones smelled like him, and you took in a lungful of his scent before pulling it on, the cotton soft against your skin. The boxers were big, but the elastic at the waist held them in place enough that you didn’t worry about making a show.

Eddie was in the shower when you emerged, so you went to the kitchen and helped yourself to a bottle of water from the fridge, sighing as you guzzled the cold liquid. It soothed the ache in the back of your throat, and you hummed in pleasure, padding barefoot over to the couch and throwing yourself down onto it.

You were watching TV, flipping through the channels, when Eddie emerged, wearing only a towel around his neck and a pair of blue and black plaid boxers. He ruffled the towel over his wet hair, and you used the moment to take an appreciative look at him bare chest before averting your gaze back to the TV before he noticed.

He walked over to you, accepted the half-full bottle of water you held out to him, drank, then dropped down onto the couch next to you. “So.”

Like a coward, you kept your gaze glued to the TV. “So.”

“You really thought we’d be afraid of you?”

Straight to the point. So like a journalist not to beat around the bush, as it were.

Sighing, you turned your head to look at him. “Kinda. I mean… I’m a mutant. My powers are fire based. They always have been. I was afraid that… that you and Venom wouldn’t want to be around me because of them. He’s _terrified_ of fire, and he has a right to be… I just… I’m selfish, I know, I’m sorry. I don’t want to lose you. Either of you.”

“Hey, now…” Eddie moved closer when he saw you were fighting tears and pulled you into his arms, tightening his hold on you when you hiccuped. “Does it look like we’re going anywhere? We’re here, aren’t we?”

“One of you is.”

“Is that what’s bothering you? Vee, c’mon, man. You’re freaking her out. Get out here already.”

Even before Eddie had finished speaking, half a dozen black tendrils were reaching for you, curling around your arms and waist, one rising to stroke your cheek, wiping a tear from your skin. Eddie’s body vanished under the blackness of the symbiote as Venom took over, growing in size, topping seven feet. Massive arms shifted around you, pulling you completely onto Venom’s lap as a low, rumbling, sound that you equated to a purr left the wide chest you were cradled against.

“NOT AFRAID OF YOU, MORSEL,” he growled to you, nuzzling at your still damp hair, one taloned hand rising so he could brush his thumb across your cheek. “YOU SAVED US.”

You sniffled a little, rubbing at your eyes that were still irritated from the smoke. “I wasn’t going to leave you in there to die.”

“OTHERS WOULD HAVE.” Venom licked at your cheek, purring again, an otherworldly, rumbling, noise. “BUT NOT YOU. THANK YOU, NIBBLE. WE THOUGHT–”

“Hey.” You rose a hand to his face, fingers brushing his cheek. He leaned his head into your palm with a sigh. “I know. I was scared too. But, I wasn’t going to leave you in there. Even if I didn’t have powers, I still would have gone in there after you.”

“WHAT DID EDDIE CALL YOU? OUR ‘GUARDIAN ANGEL’?”

Heat bloomed across your face. “Oh, don’t you start with that too.”

He smirked, fangs bared in an expression that would have frightened anyone else. “TOO LATE.” Then, he sobered, hands clutching at you a little tighter. “STAY TONIGHT? WE HEALED EDDIE, BUT YOU’RE HURT. WE CAN HEAR HOW THE SMOKE AFFECTED YOUR LUNGS. WE’D FEEL BETTER IF WE COULD LOOK AFTER YOU.“

You smiled a little, touched by his worry. “Okay.”

“GOOD.” Venom pulled you into a bear hug, holding you impossibly tight for one, long, moment, before loosening his grip. “HUNGRY? EDDIE BOUGHT TATER TOTS.”

A tired laugh escaped you at the delight in his voice at the thought of his favorite potatoes. “Sure.”

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	50. First Snow

Prompt - Hiya! Love your works!! I'm not sure about asking but if you're still taking requests *slips paper across table* I work in retail and some of our christmas stock has arrived and the fluffies caught me on Venom experiencing snow or christmas in general for the first time.. Can be x reader fluff you want (yeah.. it's too early to be thinking of christmas and I'm not ready) sorry it's long winded.. thankyou!! xx

 

Christmas/The Holidays are three weeks (ish) away and I’m starting to get nervous. Anywho! I tried to fit Christmas into this, and I had fun with the snow. Don’t think it snows in San Francisco, but it does in this prompt, so there =P hehehe. Enjoy the fluff!

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“EDDIE!”

The loud, booming, yell started both you and the one intended, and you watched with wide eyes as Venom’s head materialized on Eddie’s shoulders, the symbiote’s attention locked onto the apartment’s nearest window.

Eddie, who was apparently more used to the sudden appearance and yelling of said symbiote, didn’t even look up from his laptop. “What?”

“LOOK!” 

You got to witness an unusual sight. Venom’s manifested head on a noodle-stalk lurched towards the window, dragging Eddie along. The poor man yelped, was pulled into a backflip over the back of the couch, and landed perfectly. He had enough sense to take a pose before the symbiote bodily yanked him over to the window. 

The black and white face smooshed itself up against the glass, deep voice laced with panic. “ASHES ARE FALLING FROM THE SKY! THERE’S A FIRE! WE HAVE TO GO! FIRE WILL KILL US! WE HAVE TO RUN!”

“Ashes?” Eddie pressed his face against the glass next to Venom and peered up at the sky. “Huh. Lookit that.”

“HOW CAN YOU BE CALM?!” Venom obviously thought his host was a few tater tots shy of a full bag.

Shaking your head at the weirdness of it all, you set your book aside and rose to walk over to them, joining your boys. You reached past Eddie and shoved the window up, letting cold air and flakes of snow whoosh into the apartment.

Venom made an ungodly noise of terror as the symbiote reared back, away from the flakes, nearly toppling Eddie as he did so. “DON’T LET IT INTO THE NEST!”

“Venom.” You did your best not to laugh. You really did. You’d never seen Venom afraid before, or known that his usually deep voice could gain such a high pitch. “Venom, look. It’s _snow._ ” _  
_

Eddie was snickering to himself. “Snow. Frozen water. Doesn’t usually snow in San Fran, but the weather’s been bonkers lately.”

You stretched a hand out and scooped a bit of accumulated snow off the windowsill. “Look.”

Venom eyed your extended hand as if you were offering him his most hated white chocolate. Slowly, as the bit of snow in your palm melted, he snaked his head closer, pale eyes narrowing a little as he stared, then tentatively licked at the bundled flakes in your hand.

Pale eyes widened seconds later. “IT’S WATER.”

“Yup. Frozen water. Perfectly safe, unless it snows ten feet, which we won’t get here,” you chuckled, smiling as you flicked your now wet fingers at Eddie, who yelped and wiped at his face.

“Guess we’ll have a white Christmas,” the man muttered as he shook droplets of water from his tee shirt.

“CHRISTMAS?” You and Eddie had tried to explain the holiday to Venom. He’d been less than enthused about the story of Santa ‘breaking in’ and leaving gifts. You were certain the alien was low-key planning on staking out the apartment in an attempt to catch Ol’ Saint Nick. 

There had been _endless_ questions. If you hadn’t been an adult and known that Santa wasn’t real before, having the symbiote poke holes in all the Christmas Stories would have done it. Most of the questions about the religious aspects went unanswered since neither you _or_ Eddie were particularly religious to begin with.

Venom had finally been mollified with a final exasperated answer that it was a holiday meant to celebrate friends and family. The promise of a huge meal had also helped.

So Venom hadn’t made any overly snarky comments about the Christmas Tree that you and Eddie had put up. The artificial thing was now laden with ornaments and lights, and while it wasn’t anything like the perfectly manicured ‘classic’ trees, like in the magazines, it was perfect for the three of you.

But snow. Actual snow. A white Christmas. You hadn’t had one of those in… years. Not since you’d moved to San Francisco for work, anyway.

“Let’s go for a walk,” you grinned, turning away from watching the snow fall to look at Eddie. 

He arched a doubtful eyebrow at you. “In the snow?”

“Yeah, ‘in the snow’! It’ll melt soon enough, and I haven’t seen snow in years!” You gave him your best kicked-puppy look. “Please?”

“WE WANT TO SEE MORE TOO,” Venom rumbled, his gaze still glued to the falling snow.

“We could go to the Park! They put up a bunch of lights and decorations! It’ll be fun!” When Eddie still looked doubtful, you performed a finishing move. “And we can stop by that coffee shop you love. Get one of their specialty hot chocolates.”

His lips quirked, even as Venom perked up at the word ‘chocolate’. “We’re not sure we’re comfortable with the way you’ve learned to manipulate us,” he drawled, eyes sparkling with mirth.

“SAYS YOU,” Venom smirked, taking control of Eddie’s body again and lurching him towards the apartment door. “LET’S GO.”

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.

Twenty minutes later found the two (three?) of you at the Golden Gate Park, walking along a pathway with Christmas lights draped over every tree and light post. It was an event done every year, and with the snow falling, the lights glowing in the early dusk, it seemed almost magical.

“You can’t tell me this wasn’t worth coming out here,” you smiled as you cozy’d up to Eddie, who had his left arm around you, his right hand stuffed into his jacket pocket. Venom was coiled around his neck in the guise of a black scarf, pale ‘eyes’ visible as the symbiote took in everything around.

“It is pretty,” Eddie admitted, tucking you closer when you wound your right arm around his back. “Haven’t seen it snow like this in…. ever, actually. Not since I moved here from New York.”

“I miss snow,” you murmured, tilting your head back to stare up at the sky, smiling when a few flakes landed on your face. “I mean, not the shoveling of it, because that sucks. But seeing it, having snowball fights and building forts and stupid little things like that.”

“It’s not stupid,” he chided you gently, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek before returning his attention to the pathway, his boots crunching on the new fallen snow. “I kinda miss the Rockefeller Center and the massive tree they put up every year. I think one year they got a tree that was ninety five feet tall.”

You leaned into him a little, the warmth of him chasing the unusual chill from you. “I’ve only seen pictures, to be honest.”

“You’d love it. There’s a skating rink just below it - not that I could skate to save my life.” Eddie paused for a moment, then grinned at you. “Maybe, one year, we’ll take you there. As a Christmas present.”

“I* thought Venom hated planes.”

“The engine noise yeah.” There came a grumble from his ‘scarf’ and Eddie nudged at the blackness with his chin. “But that time was from the outside. It’s quieter when you’re actually _in_ the place.”

“True.” A group of children, followed by their exasperated parents, ran past, heading for a small playground that had been set up - huge piles of snow had been made into small toboggan hills and slides. 

“C’mon.” Eddie tugged you away from the noisy mass of people and children, taking a pathway away from the lights. Quietness, broken only by the sounds of your footsteps in the snow and the light breeze, settled over the two of you. “Thought you and I could introduce Vee to something fun.”

You blinked as Eddie pulled away, the loss of his warmth making you tuck your jacket closer. “Oh?”

“Yup.” A grin, best described as a ‘shit-eating grin’, spread across his face as he bent to retrieve a handful of snow.

Too late, you realized his intention. 

You gave a little yelp as the ball of snow hit you square in the chest, some of it falling into your open collar and instantly melting against your skin. “Oh, you did not just do that. You are in for it now buster!”

He threw a second ball, and you dodged, scooping up a fistful and lobbing it at him blindly. Managed a hit on his neck and heard Venom’s low hiss of surprise and shock before you made a run for a tree, intending to use it as a shield. “Running away already?”

“I’m not running away I’m regrouping!” You grabbed another handful of snow and patted it into a sphere before peeking out, yelping when you jerked back into cover in time for a snowball to impact against the tree’s trunk. 

Eyes narrowing in indignation, you threw yourself out of cover, running for another tree. Saw an opening and took it, laughing when you manage to hit Eddie right in the face. 

He sputtered, spitting out snow, and wiped the melting slush from his face. “Oh, you’re in for it now,” he laughed, grinning a little. “Mask!”

“Well shit,” left you in a mutter as Venom took the cue and materialized around Eddie, taking over. You gave a shriek as a symbiotic tendril lobbed some snow at you and ran for it, hearing Venom’s delighted chortle as he gave chase.

He chased you through the secluded part of the Park you were in, the two of you darting in between trees and using them and whatever else was available for cover as you traded ammunition. It really wasn’t a fair fight, not when he could use tendrils _and_ hands to lob snow balls at you, but you actually took time to aim, cackling when you nailed him in the butt.

You laughed like a loon at the indignant sound he loosed, then ran for it when Venom smirked and launched himself at you. Made it, maybe, five feet before he tackled you from behind, twisting to take the brunt of the landing before he grabbed a handful of snow and tried to shove it down the front of your jacket.

Where upon you raised your last sphere of snow and smashed it, point black, into his face.

“ACK! PHFT!” Shaking his head, Venom spat out a mouthful of snow, then narrowed his eyes at you. “YOU PLAY DIRTY MORSEL.”

“You put snow in my _bra_ ,” you shot back as you dug slush out from under your jacket. “There are bits of me that aren’t meant to be that cold!”

He snickered and pushed your onto your back, looming over you. “WE LIKE THIS. THIS ‘SNOW’ STUFF. IT’S FUN.” Venom leaned down, nuzzling chilled fangs against your neck, tongue laving at the spot to sooth the feeling of sharp teeth. One taloned hand rose to tug at your jacket a little before he started to unzip it. “MM. YOU KNOW, WE DON’T SENSE ANYONE ELSE NEARBY…”

“Ohhh, no,” you laughed, gently pushing him back. “We are _not_ having sex in the snow. Ask Eddie about ‘frostbite’, and then think about how mad I’ll be if I get that anywhere near anything sensitive.”

“WOULDN’T LET THAT HAPPEN,” he grumbled after a brief moment where you knew he’d rifled through Eddie’s memories, curling his arms around you and tugging you close, tendrils lashing around to wrap you up in warmth. “BETTER?”

Smiling, you hugged him back, the chill of lying in the snow fading as he cocooned you in his mass. “Mm. Yes. Thank you. Still, I think it’s time we go home, hm?”

Venom made the rumbling noise he only made for you and nuzzled into you again, licking at the shell of your right ear. “PROMISED US HOT CHOCOLATE.”

A laugh left you. “That I did. Almost forgot about that. Okay, hot chocolate, then home.”

“AND THE NEST IS NICE AND WARM, SO NO FROSTBITE,” he purred, sliding a hand down to grab your hip and pull you close to meet the slow roll of his hips.

Your lips curved into a smile as you pressed a kiss to his cheek. “My thoughts exactly.”

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	51. Bad Luck Rising (Sequel to 'I Don't Have Issues...'

Prompt(s) - Sequel to that Murphy's law reader? like She super paranoid going out and because of that the reader like really observant; the point where she can use her unluckiness to her advantage in a dangerous situation, like being chased by some thugs and they have a horrible time! an oil drum burst causing them to slip around, getting run over by a piano, and attacked by birds. before finally catching the reader in a dead end only for Venom jump in after enjoying "the show".  
  
Prompt #2 - I feel like i’m not alone to fell in love with your “serie of unfortunate Events” did you follow the story with the reader meeting eddie or just keep writing it? Because i really love it i never see something that accurate with my life! It’s amazing!     

Part 3 of what people have dubbed 'Murphy's Law Reader'. [Part 1](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37239605), [Part 2](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966161/chapters/37984133)

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It took weeks after Venom's 'visit' for the building across from yours to fix the damage from both his little rampage and his written message clawed into the brick. The gun runner that had been Venom's prey had been found headless, amidst a pile of guns, ammunition and drugs. Bullet holes had marred the apartment's walls, signs of a struggle that had been rather one-sided.

It really should have bothered you, you knew it should have bothered you - Venom calmly eating brownies in your apartment before going to decapitate a bad guy. But it didn't. Not really.

Which was why you didn't bat an eye at baking more triple chocolate brownies the next day. Once cooled, you'd put them into a large Tupperware, then duct taped the entire thing to the side of the building just outside your window.

You didn't see Venom again, though three times you checked and found the Tupperware empty, and three times you refilled it with more brownies.Things went back to as normal as they could with you. You went to work - where computers would randomly refuse to function around you, printers would start printing gibberish if you walked past, and the IT department low-key thought you were some sort of computer virus come to life.

Then came the week of hell.

Monday, after your computer monitor had mysteriously started to emit a foul-smelling smoke, you'd been forced to walk home after the bus had broken down a block before needing to pick you up, and almost twisted an ankle after a cat had just bolted out of an alley and dashed across your path.

Tuesday, you'd been demoted to the mail room since your computer was still on the fritz and had nearly sliced your palm open with a exacto knife while fighting to open a box of toner for the Xerox machine.

Wednesday, you'd arrived at work drenched because a truck had motored through a deep puddle next to the sidewalk. Then someone had decided to microwave some foul-smelling fish dish in the microwave, and the smell had infected the entire floor of the building.

Thursday, you'd been sent back to your desk and your new monitor, whereupon your ergonomic chair had mysteriously dumped you on your head when the back of it had given way. Your flailing arm had caught the cord of your mouse and ripped it out of the computer tower. IT had merely sighed and handed you a new one.

Friday, your MP3 player that kept you sane while working had died, and no amount of prayer or charging could revive it. You'd been forced to listen to your the cubical-over's horrible music on their radio. It hadn't even been in English. Or Spanish. It had been some weird, high pitched thing with screaming and bells. Weird. Migraine inducing too.

You'd been so desperate to escape the horrible music that you'd snuck out of work early.

It was a sunny day - which meant no puddles. No cats bolted out in front of you. You were hoping to get home without any insanity, because you were really, really, tired. All you wanted to do was get home and hibernate until Monday.

Naturally, fate decided to throw a monkey wrench into that plan too.

Fucking fate. That bitch.

You were halfway home, crossing the street, when a cat call caught your attention. You turned towards the source of the whistle, meeting the gaze of a man who gave you a visible look-over and a leer, before he started to walk towards you.

Fuck no. You stopped that shit by glaring at him and giving him the finger before hustling into a little coffee shop for safety. He didn't follow you in. Taking a break and getting yourself a hot chocolate and a donut wasn't what you had planned, but it was better than dealing with Mr. I-Have-No-Respect-For-Women.

Only when you'd finished your sweet treat and made certain that the asshole was gone did you leave the shop. It was late evening, and the sun was starting it's descent. You hurried, wanting to get home, wanting, more than anything, to get out of your bra and put on a tee and shorts and just relax.

You were five blocks away when you heard fast footsteps from behind. You were already starting to turn when a hand grasped your left arm and tugged you to a stop.

"You can't take a compliment?"

Fuck. Your. Life.

"Let me go." You pulled on your arm, trying to get free. The man who'd cat called you merely tightened his grip until you were certain that you were going to have bruises, his dark eyes narrowing.

"I gave you a _compliment_. Least you could do is not flip me off like some whore."

"You cat-called me, asshole! That's not a goddamn compliment!" Growling you kicked him in the knee, then stomped on his foot. His grip on you loosened enough that you were able to twist your arm free. You paused long enough to whack him in the face with your heavy purse before spinning and making a run for it.

No need to bother looking back either. Just fucking run. This wasn't the time to hope for the good in mankind, this asshole was off his rocker.

Not surprisingly, you heard him yell and heard the sounds of pursuit, heavy footfalls pounding the sidewalk. No one that you weaved around bothered to even look up from their phones or bother to realize that you were in trouble. You poured on the speed, dodging people, hoping that nothing stupid would get in your way and trip you up enough that idiot would catch up and get his hands on you.

Naturally, someone splashed water onto the sidewalk ahead of you, suds and cleaning fluid from a mop bucket flowing over the concrete. You were going too fast to slow down, so you braced yourself for the worst, barely managing to stay upright as you skidded through it. The idiot behind you cursed loudly as he slipped, falling to his hands and knees in the suds and screaming at the poor store owner.

Well. Murphy's Law did help now and again. Didn't think it was possible.

Still, you kept going.

Four blocks to go.

Block three, and the asshat had re-caught up to you. Goddamn dude was quick, you had to give him that. Didn't think he had it in him - he'd stunk of cheap cigarettes and cologne. Though you didn't admire his persistence. Wondered how many other women he'd manhandled into going out with him or whatever.

The thought made your stomach turn a little. Gross little man.

Three blocks, and his grasping fingers touched your back. You ducked, throwing yourself under a large table that two movers were carrying into an apartment building. You scraped your knees, but idiot ploughed into the piece of furniture and went down hard. The movers weren't too happy with him either, yelling at him and showing not one ounce of mercy for the moron on the ground.

You risked a laugh as you scrambled up to your feet and forced yourself back into a sprint. Two blocks. You could make that. Hopefully the asshat would stay down - ploughing into a wood table at high speed couldn't have felt good.

" _Goddamn bitch!_ "

Well. There was something to be said about his tenacity.

Groaning, you darted past a man on a ladder trying to change a light on a sign, rolling your eyes when he dropped the bulb just as you went by, the 'pop!' of the bulb shattering and the flying glass making Mr. Moron behind you stumble a little.

"Lookout!"

That didn't come from the idiot.

You jerked your gaze forward, then threw yourself to the side, plastering yourself against a building as a Baby Grand Piano rolled past, three men running after the escaped instrument. Caught a glimpse of your personal idiot's eye's widening before he did a Stupid Thing and tried to brace himself to 'catch' said piano.

It didn't end well.

You didn't have to worry about him anymore.

The last block home was journeyed at a calm walk, though you did quirk an eyebrow at the ambulance that roared past, heading towards the, ahem, 'incident'. You stepped into your apartment ten minutes later, sighing tiredly as you locked the door behind you. Dropped your purse onto the floor as you kicked off your shoes, then headed for the fridge and the vodka coolers you kept in stock.

Didn't bother to turn on the lights as you shuffled over to the couch and plopped down onto it, taking a long guzzle of your 'Mike's Hard Lemonade'.

Your life.

No receipt no exchange.

You hoped the piano was okay.

Sighing, you inspected your dress pants, plucking at the material at your knees that was frayed from the friction of the sidewalk. Nuts. You'd have to order a new pair, because your work didn't allow jeans.

You were trying to gather up the willpower to go get changed when you heard a tap at the window. Ignored it for a moment, thinking it was another demented city pigeon, before it happened again, louder than a bird could manage without breaking it's tiny little feathered head open.

Frowning, you got up to see what new hell was trying to break into your apartment, eyes widening when you spotted Venom peering into your apartment, his curiosity quickly replaced by amusement when he saw you.

Sighing again, you went over and lifted the window open. "Sorry, I ran out of flour for the brownies and I haven't gone to the store yet."

"OH, WE'RE NOT HERE FOR THAT, NIBBLE," he rumbled as he squeezed through the window. You backed up a bit as he entered your apartment and rose to his full height, stretching a little. "WE WERE JUST SEEING IF YOU WERE ALRIGHT."

"...alright?"

"FROM THE CHASE."

"The... You... _You were there?!_ " Okay, you were yelling at Venom again. Not something you should make a habit out of. "Why the everlasting _fuck_ didn't you _do_ _something?!_ "

Massive shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "TO BE HONEST, YOU SEEMED TO HAVE A HANDLE ON IT," he told you, before smirking. "AND WE WERE LAUGHING TOO HARD AFTER HE RAN INTO THE TABLE."

You facepalmed.

"THOUGH THE PIANO WAS ENTERTAINING TOO." A low chuckle left him. "YOU REALLY DO ATTRACT THE WORST LUCK."

"Is that why you keep showing up?" you snarked as you went to retrieve your drink, grumbling as you finished it off.

Venom huffed a little at your comment. "WE'LL LET THAT SLIDE."

Another, tired, sigh left you, and your shoulders slumped as you turned to look at him again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. In my defense, I've had a horrible week that just culminated with me getting chased by a pervert."

The exhausted, on edge, broken, tone to your voice pulled some odd thrumming noise from Venom, and you blinked as he took two large steps towards you before wrapping an arm around your waist and hauling you into a massive bear hug.

You tensed for a moment, your brain trying to make sense of the fact that Venom, of all people, was offering you comfort. But considering all the fuckery as of late, you couldn't bring yourself to really care. It was a hug. You missed hugs.

Closing your eyes, you leaned into him, your own arms wrapping around his waist as you listened to that odd growling noise that was leaving him. One of his taloned hands rose to cup the back of your head, tucking you close, and you relaxed into him. Fuck Murphy's Law. Let it try to get at you now.

He bent down to exhale warm breath into your hair. "BETTER?"

"Yeah." You felt like you should pull away, but he wasn't letting go, and you felt pretty happy to stay where you were. "Thanks."

"WE WERE ORIGINALLY COMING TO THANK YOU FOR THE BROWNIES," Venom told you with another vibrating rumble that rattled your bones. "WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO COME OUT TO SEE THE TOWN WITH US."

"You want me, Disaster Incorporated, to let you swing me around the city on those little webs?" You rose your head from his chest to look up at him. "Seriously?"

He smirked. "WE'RE CERTAIN WE CAN HANDLE ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS."

"You realize that's just asking the Universe to do something, right?"

A laugh left him. "WE'RE STRONG ENOUGH NOT TO GET TAKEN OUT BY A PIANO."

Yeah. You were definitely off your rocker. "Let me get changed into normal clothes and we can go."

The Saturday Edition of the Paper would later cover an odd explosion at a chocolate shop. Where upon a frazzled woman fitting your description was seen running from the store, carrying several boxes of high-quality chocolates, before the Demon of San Francisco swung down, missed picking you up, and pretty much just faceplanted himself into the side of a building.

No one knew where the piano came from, but it was found at the scene of the crime with a large bite taken out of it.

.

.

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**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Thinking Out Loud](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16793785) by [Dem0nLight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dem0nLight/pseuds/Dem0nLight)
  * [Visually Intact](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16919049) by [Blue_The_Huntress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_The_Huntress/pseuds/Blue_The_Huntress)




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